Whispers of Willow
by emw314
Summary: Willow loves science. Loves finding things out. Like when she decides to check her blood types, which, oddly enough, doesn't match her parents' types. So what now?
1. Discoveries

Disclaimer: Do not own or claim rights to BtVS or NCIS

A/N 1: This is in response to Suzanne's Challenge, #4633 – Whispers of Willow (from Twisting the Hellmouth site)

A/N 2: To make it fit, I have adjusted the timelines. The NCIS stands as is, while Buffy has been moved up so that Season 1 of NCIS coincides with Season 2 Buffy, both occurring in 2003. Specifically, this is set between Halloween and What's My Line Pt 1.

* * *

"What are those?" Xander asked, peering at the cards Willow had pulled out of a box.

"Home blood type testing kits. It's cool – you just need a bit of blood and some water, and do the test, and it tells you your type," Willow explained, gushing just a little.

"Huh. I already know mine. B+," Xander offered.

"How do you know your blood type?" Buffy asked, surprised.

"Oh, you know. I got tested a few years ago. They told me because it's supposed to be a rare-ish type, and I need to be able to tell people if I need blood."

"So why do you have so many, Willow?"

"Oh, I wanted to test my parents as well. You know, just one of those things."

"Coolies. Just so long as you don't expect me to do that. I like my blood safely on the inside, thank you."

Xander looked at Buffy in confusion. "Um, you're the Slayer, right? You fight the forces of darkness just about every night?"

"Yeah, and?"

"You seriously expect to keep your blood on the inside?"

"As much as possible, hence the no-voluntary-bloodletting," the little blonde agreed amiably.

"Ah."

center~~~~~/center

"Why so sad, my Willow-girl?" Xander asked as he slung an arm around her shoulder.

Willow looked around the lunch room nervously. "I need you to help me with something this afternoon, after school."

"You know I'd do anything for you," he reassured his friend, concern tinting his voice. "What do you need?"

She bit her lip. "Do you remember those blood typing kits I got?" When Xander nodded, she went on. "Well, I tested myself, and came up as A+ blood type. Well, Mom and Dad are still in Argentina, and I couldn't wait, so I got into their medical records and both Mom and Dad have O group blood, and that means I can't possibly be their child, because two O group parents can't give birth to an A group child, or any blood type than O group, because it's not genetically possible for them to do so, and that means that they aren't my parents, or maybe one of them is my parent, but the other one isn't, and does that mean that one of them cheated on the other? And I want to find my birth certificate to see if they put my real parents' names on it, and to see if I can find my real parents, because I just want to know who they are, and where I come from, and what my real name is, and will you help me please? I need to get into the attic, and I don't really want to go there by myself. Will you help me please?"

Xander stared at her for a moment, stunned. "Um. Okay. Still getting over that one. You really excelled that time, Will," he grinned. "So basically your parents aren't your parents, or maybe not, at least, or something, and you want me to help you go through stuff in your attic?" When his redheaded friend nodded, he smiled again. "Sure, no problems. This afternoon, was it?"

"Yep. That's okay?" she asked anxiously.

"Cool. Break in at the Rosenberg residence."

Willow looked at him. "It's not a break in if it involves the person living there."

"You spoil all my fun," he pouted.

* * *

Xander sneezed. "So what are we looking for here?"

"Well, you're more here for moral support. And maybe moving heavy boxes. It should be here somewhere..." she trailed off, checking boxes. "Ah! Here." She pulled a box forward, and opened it. "Okay... And here's my birth certificate!" she grinned. "Willow Danielle Rosenberg, born May 25, 1987. Mother is Sheila Myer and, oh, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I have a father!"

"Of course you do, Will. Otherwise you wouldn't be here," her friend countered, grinning.

"Duh. No, I mean, my father is actually named here. Oh, it says he's a Marine. Hey – that means I can find him," she grinned. "I can find my real Dad!"

Xander grinned and hugged her. "That's brilliant, Will. Oh, and hey! You can get your licence now, too."

"Yeah. Hey, have you seen your birth certificate? Won't you need that for your licence?"

"Yes and no. Or should that be 'no and yes?'" He frowned in thought. "Um, 'no', I haven't seen my birth certificate, and 'yes', I will need it." He smiled. "Want to return the favour?"

Willow bit her lip. "Will it be, you know, okay to go over?"

"Oh, yeah. Mom's at work, and Dad's bar has happy hour from three o'clock onwards today. The house will be empty until about nine tonight."

"Let's go then," the redhead grinned.

* * *

"Welcome to the penthouse suite of La Casa Harris," Xander grandly announced, waving his arm to include the whole of the attic. "You'll notice the Bohemian atmosphere, and casual setting," he added, looking at the scattered and badly stacked boxes. "Hm, now if I were a box of important identification documents, where would I be hiding?" he mused. After a moment, he started pulling boxes out, and setting them aside. "Frankly, in this house, I'm going to start at the hardest to find, and go from there."

"Such an optimist," Willow mocked.

"I prefer the term 'realist', thank you very much." He selected a somewhat battered looking box, and opened it, shuffling through items. "Ha! Oh ye of little faith," he gloated as he pulled out a file. "This is my birth stuff. And here is my birth certificate. Good. And my mother's name is Jessica Anne Hayes, and my father is … oh."

Willow looked at her friend in concern. He was just sitting there, looking at the paper, stunned. "Well? What is it?"

"My father's name is Anthony DiNozzo. Huh. Says he's from Long Island, NY."

"But, that's good? Maybe? That means that … he … isn't your father. Isn't that good?"

"Yeah. It's good. It means I'm not a Harris, and that's definitely of the good. Hey, you want to go looking for two men, instead of one?"

"Sure," Willow smiled at her best male friend. "Only it's probably going to take longer to find a normal person than someone in the army."

"Marines, Will. You said he was a Marine, and that's definitely not army," he grinned. "So. Research party? You do the research, and I party?"

"I do the research, and you do your homework, mister."

"Aw, Will," the brunet whined.

* * *

The investigator snatched up the phone. "Gibbs," he all but snarled.

"Oh. Um. Ah, would that be Leroy Jethro Gibbs?"

The sound of a girl's voice, soft and hesitant, jerked him back. "Speaking," he replied, calmer. "How can I help you?"

"Um, well, it's kind of like this. I was doing a blood test to check my blood type, because I like doing things like that, because I like science and school, and stuff, but my blood type came out as A group, and I found out my parents are both O group, because it's on the medical records they keep at home, which means they're universal donors, or is that right? Isn't it O-negative the universal donor? And they are both O-positive, so I went looking for my birth certificate, because I'd never actually seen it before and it said my father's name was Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and he was in the Marines, and I did some checking, and you're the first Leroy Jethro Gibbs that I could find who was in the Marines, which isn't the army, 'cause Xander said it wasn't, and he knows these things, and I was wondering if you were my Dad?"

He sat there, stunned by the speed and volume of words that had just flowed out of the young girl. Even as he was working his way through her speech, the phone was taken over by someone else.

"Sorry about that. I would have grabbed the phone a minute ago, but I was too far away," the boy's voice was wry, and a little embarrassed. "Er, though what she said was right. I just don't think you would have had a chance to understand that, did you?"

"She thinks I'm her father."

"Okay. Well, congratulations, you just mastered Willow-babble. It's an intense course, and only the best survive. That would be you and me," the boy joked.

* * *

"I have a babbler here, too."

"Ah, a past master. Okay. So what do we do next? 'Cause Will has an awfully official looking piece of paper here with your name on it."

"Who's her mother, and when was she born?"

"Yeah, I guess that would help. Well, I know her as Sheila Rosenberg, but that's her married name. Just a sec." Gibbs heard the sound of someone fetching something, and his supposed daughter's voice in the background. It seemed like they were having something of an argument about who should handle this, and he thought the pair had came to an agreement that he should handle her family, while she would handle his family.

"Okay, here we go. Sheila Myer. And Will was born on May 25, 1987. So that would mean the deed was done in, er," Gibbs heard a muffled conversation, "um August 1986. Does that sound right?"

"'The deed was done?'"

"Heh. Well, it's either me discussing my best friend's illegitimate conception with her possible Dad, or Willow-babble times major freak out. Your choice."

Gibbs chuckled. "You got balls, kid."

"Oh, no. Just a really inappropriate sense of humour. So. August 1986, with the redheaded Sheila Myer. Ring any bells."

Gibbs shook his head. "Even if it didn't the fact she was a redhead pretty much seals the deal."

"Ah. You have a thing for the scarlet locks."

Gibbs shook his head. "I think I have your father in my team," he grinned.

"Who? Anthony DiNozzo?"

When he didn't get a response, Xander tried again. "You still there?"

"Who did you say your father was?"

"Er. Anthony DiNozzo. From New York State. Why?"

"When were you born?"

"November 1986."

Gibbs put the phone down and called across to his team mate. "DiNozzo, get over here." When the younger man was standing in front of him, he went on. "Where you getting any girls pregnant in early 1986?"

"Me? No. I was fifteen. I would have tried, but never got quite that far."

"What's your father's name?"

"Anthony Senior. Why?"

He picked up the phone again. "What was your name, kid?"

"Xander. Um, Alexander Harris, sir."

"Never an officer, kid. Don't call me 'sir'. What was your mother's name?"

"Jessica Hayes. Why do you need to know this?"

Gibbs put the phone down again. "Any way of finding out if your dad was having an affair with a woman named Jessica Hayes in early 1986? You may just have a baby brother."

"Son of a bitch! Bastard just couldn't keep it in his pants. Huh. Knowing dear old Dad, it may just be easier and quicker to get a sibling DNA test done. How'd you even find this kid?"

"I said I thought I had his dad in my team. He offered up the name. It could be bogus, he's speaking on behalf of his friend, who thinks she's my daughter." He shrugged. "The names and timing fit." He thought about it for a moment, letting it sink in, finally, that he might just have a daughter out there.

The sound of Xander's voice brought him back to reality, and he lifted the phone to his ear again. "I'm here. Settle down there, okay?"

"You just disappeared. What's going on? You were asking all those questions, and they have nothing to do with Will, or being her Dad, and why are you even asking me about my parents when that's not what this call is all about -"

"And I'm back again," Willow interrupted. "Sorry about that. We both tend to babble when we freak out, and Xander was really freaking out there, and I kind of thought you'd had enough of that for one day. So. Tell."

"You both do it," he muttered in disbelief.

"Yep," came the sunny reply. "So, spill. What's this about Xander's Dad?"

"In the weirdest of coincidences, I may have his half-brother on my team. Look," Gibbs decided, "tell me where you are, and we will both come out to discuss this properly."

"We're in Sunnydale. That's a couple of hours north of LA. We've got an airport, but it's probably better to just fly into LA and drive out to Sunnydale. Um. It's kind of better to get here in daylight. If you think you'll get here after dark, call us before you go anywhere, okay? Or better yet, stay in LA and come see us the next day. Um. Okay, so is that okay?"

"You got a problem there?"

"A bit of a gang problem. People stay in at night, and the motels aren't really that good. So."

"Okay, I'll call you back as soon as I can to let you know when we can get there."

"Great. I'll give you my home number, and I'll also give you the library's number. We spend a lot of time there. It's a, um, study club we're in. And Giles can take a message. He's the librarian, and he's in charge of the, um club. So he knows us all. Okay?" With that, she recited the numbers, and hung up.

"Well?" Xander demanded.

"He thinks he works with your brother," she explained, feeling somewhat faint from the day's revelations. "They're coming out here to talk to us. Oh, no. Mom and Dad won't be back for another month. And they can't meet your parents. What are we going to do?

Xander shrugged. "Talk to Giles? We kind of have to, anyway. You gave your Dad his number." He bit his lip. This had gone much further than he had ever expected.


	2. Preliminary Investigations

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS or NCIS

A/N: Wow! Thanks to everyone who review :D I am very impressed. Again: thank you!

* * *

"Um, Giles?" came the voice over the phone. "We might have something kind of a bit of a problem."

* * *

"You going to tell your Dad?"

"Hell, no. It's been a year since he... You know," he shrugged. "I'm not going to risk him finding out that Mom cheated on him, if she did, if he didn't already know. Er, whatever. Basically, not trying to piss the bastard off. Hey!" he added brightly. "That means I really am a bastard!"

"Most people aren't happy to hear that," Willow grimaced.

"Most people didn't grow up with someone like Tony Harris."

"This is true," she sighed.

* * *

"You going to tell your Dad?"

"Hell no. The kid probably has a good life, nice parents. Hell, he probably even has a pet dog, for all I know. I'm not going to hand any brother of mine over to my father's not-so-tender mercies."

"Your father was ..."

"Drunken, abusive, and philandering. The kid's better off far, far away."

* * *

"So what's this problem you were talking about?" Giles asked the pair once they were settled.

Willow shifted in her chair, and glanced at Xander. Xander shrugged. "It seems that both Willow and I aren't the products of a loving marriage, as it were. Her Dad is an ex-Marine named Leroy Gibbs, and mine is a guy named Anthony DiNozzo. Hey," he added, turning to his friend, "that means my father is still Tony."

"Oh, yeah. I hadn't thought about that."

"Yeah, so, anyway, they're coming out here to talk to us, and we kind of gave your name and phone number in case they need to call us during school time. And we kind of told them that we were in a study group that you run," Xander confessed in a rush.

"So you managed to find and contact both your fathers? Very clever of you, I'm most impressed."

"Oh. No, in a really weird coincidence, it seems my brother works with Will's father. So it's Will's Dad and my brother coming out."

"That is unusual," Giles mused. "Where do they work?"

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service," Willow intoned.

"A military version of the police force. So your father is a detective?"

"I guess so. Is that going to be a problem? Xander's brother works with him, too," she added, gnawing her lip.

"It could be a problem. The Sunnydale Police Department are well known for their obliviousness, but these are proper investigators, they will come here with their eyes open. We need to make ourselves appear as innocuous as possible."

Willow and Xander exchanged guilty glances.

"Oh, what is it?" Giles demanded.

"I kind of told them we had a gang problem, and to not come here at night time," Willow confessed.

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "We can work with that. So I head up a small study club, let's say history and mythology, but you still need to do your homework. We meet regularly in the library, which, of course, we do. Xander, you take higher level courses with Willow, don't you?" With the boy's nod, he continued. "Well that will cover the languages we use, I guess. If you're coping with Willow's workload, then you must have above average intelligence," he continued, not noticing Xander's startled look. "We will have to explain the weapons as a way of encouraging you in your studies," he added with a smile for the boy. "Is there anything else you can think of?"

Xander looked at Willow again. "Well, there is this tiny thing about our respective parents," he began, hesitantly. "It's just that neither Will's nor my parents would exactly win any parent-of-the-year awards, and, well, if they're, you know, investigators, then what's going to happen?"

"I hadn't really thought about that. Willow, where are your parents at the moment?"

"Argentina. There's some kind of conference there, and they won't be back for about a month."

"Oh, dear. And you, Xander? I don't really know the situation with your parents."

Xander shifted in his chair, and Willow took his hand, and squeezed gently. "Dad's a drunk. He just about lives at the bar," he mumbled. "Mom works, a bit, anyway, and she drinks, too. And neither of them are, say, June Cleaver."

Willow bumped his shoulder gently, and looked at him. Xander stared back, so Willow upped the ante with something Giles recognised as her 'Resolve Face'. With a sigh, Xander continued. "He used to beat me. Hasn't for a year, now. I kind of hit back, you know, last year. During that time..."

Giles thought for a moment, then it came to him. "Oh, last year, when... That time... Er..." He took off his glasses and cleaned them as he tried to think how to refer to that time.

"Yeah," Xander muttered. "It was a laughing good time."

Willow frowned in thought, then suddenly understood his reference. "But I thought you didn't remember that!" she protested.

Xander winced. "Didn't want to remember. Didn't want you and Buff to think about it, so I told you that I didn't remember it. G-man here knew that I remembered, but was good enough not to say anything to anyone. But dear old Dad tried to hit me, and, well, She wasn't about to let anyone beat up an alpha. He hasn't touched me since. Though," he went on, pensively, "he might forget about that if I tell him that Mom cheated on him, and he didn't already know that. Not to mention what he might do to Mom."

"I've been meaning to ask, Xander, were there any after effects?"

"The memories weren't fun," he admitted. "I think I want to hunt more, now. I kind of remember running on the savannah, hunting." He stared into space, as if reliving something. "Add to that, the soldier memories from a month ago," he shrugged. "I've been doing some PT since then. Thinking of finding a dojo or something."

"Oh, Xander, getting up early?" Willow teased.

Xander merely grunted in reply. "So, anyway, what are we going to do about the 'rents?"

Giles sighed. "I really don't know. There is a distinct possibility that both your father, Willow, and your brother, Xander, may try to do something to remove you from your respective homes. And I can't really see that as a bad thing."

"No!" Willow protested. "No, I can't leave here. And I can't be away from Xander. I need him. We've been friends forever, and I can't leave him. They can't take me away from him, can they? And we need to be here, 'cause of the Hellmouth. We need to help Buffy. She needs us. How will you know which cemeteries to hit? Where the newest fledges are? And Xander is totally useful. He helps out all the time. We can't leave here, Giles," she wailed.

Xander put his arms around his best friend, and Giles patted her shoulder. "You might not really have a say in this, Willow. And your helping us, as much as I've appreciated it, is an aberration. Although, I dare say you can do your work on that infernal machine from a distance? And do you really think it would be best to leave Xander in his current situation?" he asked gently.

Willow shook her head, even as she had it buried in Xander's shoulder.

"Maybe we don't have to be separated," Xander suggested. "I mean, if my brother is working with your father, that means he's an adult, doesn't it? Maybe I can stay with him. He wouldn't really have to do anything. I can look after myself, have done so for a long time. Maybe, if we ask nicely, we can do that," he suggested.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

Giles considered for a moment. He would miss this pair. Their energy and enthusiasm for life, for a fight that wasn't theirs, had infected him. But the Hellmouth was not a safe place, and their home lives, as he'd just found out, were abysmal. "It is certainly worth considering. I will talk to both men when they come here. I need to think about this further."

* * *

Abby was dancing around the lab to the beat of her music when she was startled to turn around and see Gibbs, Caff-Pow in hand, standing there. "Gibbs! I don't have anything for you. There's nothing to have, no results for you to come down here and get the result of, so why are you here? Although that," she grinned as she snatched the drink out of his hand, "is always welcome."

He smiled. 'Past master of the babble' indeed. "No, I know there's nothing work related at the moment, Abs. I've just got something personal coming up, and I want some help."

"Ooh, personal stuff, Gibbs? Who is she? Does she had red hair? What am I saying, of course she has red hair. So what can I do for you, oh Captain, my Captain?" she finished, coming to attention.

Gibbs shook his head in amusement. "I need you to check up on Sunnydale, CA. I've been told that they have a gang problem there, to the point that everyone stays inside at night, and I've been warned about staying in a motel."

"Why would you be staying in a motel in California, Gibbs? You're not going all the way out there for a job, are you? No, of course you wouldn't. I mean, you may be the best team in the country, but they still have an office out of LA, so they would take any investigations out in California, wouldn't they? So why would you be staying in California, Gibbs?" Abby demanded.

"Not a job, Abby. Like I said, it was personal. I seems that I have a daughter there, and I'm going to visit her. I want to see what she's like, how she is. Make sure everything's okay."

"Gibbs," Abby warned, "they've got these things call DNA tests these days. You don't have to take someone's word for you being their father, you know. Even if you remember her mother, and all, it doesn't mean she's your daughter."

"I know about that, and I will be getting a test done. Tony, too," he added, grinning. "But I want to see her first."

"Tony? Why does Tony need a test?"

"It seems her best friend is Tony's half-brother. So Tony's coming with me to meet his brother while I meet my daughter."

The goth gasped. "Rule 39, Gibbs. There is no such thing as coincidence."

"I know, Abs, I know. So, Sunnydale. I want to know about it, and this supposed gang problem. I want to know what I'm walking into before I walk into it. Check on Sheila Rosenberg, nee Myer, and Jessica Harris, nee Hayes, while you're at it. I'm pretty sure those will be the names they're going under now. And Willow Rosenberg and Alexander Harris – those are the kids." He dropped a kiss on his favourite scientist's head. "Now to arrange some time off."


	3. Digging Deeper

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS or NCIS

* * *

"So how did you go with your blood thing, Willow?" Buffy asked chirpily.

"Er..." Guiltily, Willow looked at Xander, wondering how to begin the conversation. "Xander and I are both the products of adultery or something like it, and my Dad and his brother are coming to Sunnydale, and Xander remembers being the Hyena," she blurted out.

"Hey!" Xander protested.

"He what?" Buffy screeched. "Xander, you remember the, uh," she stopped suddenly, looking around the school hallway.

Xander hunched his shoulders and hung his head. "Yeah, I remember. I just didn't want anything to come between us, and I was feeling really bad about everything, so I lied about remembering. I'm really sorry about it all. Do you forgive me?" he begged, with puppy eyes.

"Oh, Xander, of course I forgive you. We all know you couldn't help it," she assured, patting his arm. "There's not really anything to forgive, after all, except the lying thing, and I'm kind of glad you did it, cause ew," she shuddered.

"You're not the one going through a bottle of mouthwash a day," he snorted.

"Okay, so it's over, and it wasn't your fault, and no more needs to be said. Moving on: your dads aren't your dads?" she added in a whisper.

"Yuh huh!" Xander assured. "And better news could not be had. On the worse news note, though, it should be noted that Will's real Dad and my half-brother, who are military detectives, and not the clueless type we have around here, are coming to town to meet and greet."

"Oh," Buffy grimaced. "That could be a problem. Have you told Giles?"

"Yep," Willow nodded. "And we are part of a history and mythology study group that meets in the library. Complete with medieval weapons, 'cause Xander's a boy, and he likes that sort of thing."

"Hm. I can work with that. So long as nothing Hellmouthy happens while they're here."

Willow and Xander looked at Buffy for a moment, then looked at each other. Xander then walked to the wall, and started banging his head against it.

"You do know you just jinxed us, don't you Buffy," Willow mourned.

* * *

"What have you got for me, Abs?"

She twisted her hands together and scuffed one toe. "You're not going to like this, Gibbs. I mean, really not going to like this."

He sighed. "Talk to me, Abs."

She took a deep breath. "Sunnydale is hinky. Really, really hinky. They have less than fifty thousand people, forty-three churches, and twelve cemeteries. They have an unbelievable mortality rate and people disappear all the time, Gibbs. I got in and looked at causes of death. People are dying of barbeque fork injuries to the neck, and bleeding out. Or animal attacks. More people die in Sunnydale of those two things than any other cause of death that I could find. And don't get me started about their investigations. They don't investigate. They just stick bbq fork on the file as cause of death, and that's it. There's nothing there! The only good thing I can say about the town is that the death rate is finally going down. It started last year, and is still continuing. Oh, and death rates are always lower in Summer than any other time, which is really weird, 'cause death rates usually go up over Summer, 'cause the heat gets to people. Did you know that in the Northern Territory in Australia, they have what they call the 'mango madness'? Every Summer, the heat and humidity combine to aggravate the general population to the point that there are more reports of violent crime than at any other time of year? They call it 'mango madness' 'cause that's it happens in mango season. It's a real phenomenon!"

"I'm sure it is, Abby. So Sunnydale is bad news?"

"Very," she nodded vigorously.

"So what about the people I asked you about?"

"Oh, okay. First: Sheila Rosenberg, nee Myer. She is a psychologist specialising in child and adolescent development. She works with her husband, and spends much of the year on a lecture circuit around the world. As a matter of fact, they're in South America at the moment for a conference. No hospital records worth talking about, and no police records. Very normal"

"Willow Rosenberg, her daughter, is a student at the local Sunnydale High School, Junior Year, very smart, doing the higher level classes, and doing well, A average. Um. I checked her hospital records," she added with a frown. "Everything was normal until about a year and a half ago, when she started turning up in the Emergency ward a lot. Every few weeks, nothing really serious, but," she grimaced, "looks like she gets into fights, Gibbs. A lot of fights."

She sighed. "Okay. Jessica Harris, nee Hayes. Works part-time at one of the local supermarkets. Lots of reports for domestic violence, but nothing ever happens. I'm not even sure anyone goes out to them, half the time. Lots of visits to the hospital, though that stopped, er, again, about a year and a half ago. A little less, I think. There were a couple of notations in the files that she's a drunk, and more about 'Tony'. I looked him up, too, even though you didn't ask. He's a drunk, and I think he's the one that's been beating up Jessica and Alexander. He doesn't work, hasn't for years. Really not a nice guy."

"Okay. Last, but not least, Alexander Harris. I checked his school records and hospital records, just like with Willow. He does all the same classes as Willow, but only manages a C average. Still, these are pretty advanced classes, so a C average there would be an A average on a more normal class load. So he's pretty smart. Not as smart as Willow, but still..." She bit her lip. "Okay. His hospital records. Gibbs, his dad pretty much beat the shit out of him as a kid. Broken bones, and so on. The nurses must love him, though, 'cause the notes they write are really sweet. Um. Oh, yeah. He must have had a growth spurt last year, because the notes changed. No more notes about 'that bastard Harris.' But he's still getting into fights pretty regularly. He's had two recorded concussions this year."

She fidgeted for a moment. "So. Yeah." She handed over the files. "You going to go all 'Gunny Sergeant' on their asses?"

He took the files and frowned down at them. "I may just have to, Abby. Thanks for this," he added, before dropping a kiss on the top of her head.

* * *

Gibbs walked up to Tony's desk, and tapped the surface with the files. "Office. Now."

Surprised, Tony followed his boss to the lift. Once it was in motion, Gibbs hit the stop button. "Got Abby to look up the kids."

"And?"

"You're not going to like it."


	4. Meeting and Greeting

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS or NCIS

* * *

"So, Buffster, did you get the tatt removed?"

Buffy pushed aside her hair, and pulled the collar of her top down to expose the back of her neck. "I've started, but apparently it's going to take a few treatments. But Ethan used black ink, so it should fully go away. It's just going to take some time. Giles is helping with the cost, since he feels guilty that it was his ex-friend that did it."

"Which he totally should," Willow nodded.

"So how long is it going to take?"

"Ugh. Weeks. Even once the treatments are done, it still takes time to fade. Although, bright note! Giles thinks that my Slayer healing with speed things up," she added with a grin.

"So there's good news to be had," Xander smiled.

"And what about you guys? Don't you have some good news, too?"

Xander frowned, while Willow chewed her lip.

"These guys are good news, aren't they?"

"I guess," Willow began.

"It's just that, well, what if they get here, and they think we're just too, I don't know, weird for them to know?" Xander offered. "Or they find out about Sunnydale? Or you, even? That would be bad."

"What if they get hurt here?" Willow worried. "What if a," she looked around, then whispered, "v-a-m-p got them?"

"Simple," Buffy assured. "We keep them safe. I'll patrol, and make sure they're not getting into anything they shouldn't. I mean, they're like old, aren't they?"

"Buffy they're cops. Real ones, that don't live around here, and aren't affected by the Sunnydale Blindness. Willow's Dad's a Marine, and they aren't stupid, not really. And now he's an investigator. You know, he investigates things. Weird things. Like us."

"Your brother's an investigator, too," Willow added. "And he used to be a real police detective before he joined NCIS. They know what they're doing, Buffy."

"I don't get it. Where do they work?"

"NCIS," Xander explained. "Naval Criminal Investigative Service. They investigate crimes involving the Navy. Murders, thefts, especially of military type stuff. And they're used to high security stuff, and 'need to know' and all that. And hence the frequent use of the word 'investigate'."

Buffy sighed. "You couldn't just find normal John Q Citizen as your Dad, could you," she complained.

"That's my Will," Xander grinned as he pulled his friend in for a one-armed hug. "Always the over-achiever."

* * *

"I can't believe we managed to get time off," Tony wondered.

Gibbs smirked. "That's what happens when you don't take time off."

"I take time off," the younger man protested. "Anyway... What time are we meeting Willow and Alex?"

"The librarian, Rupert Giles, said they often have lunch in the library, so we're meeting them there."

"Lunch in the library? I'm not so sure this kid is my brother, after all." He snorted. "They must have something of a bully problem at the school, the way he's at the hospital all the time."

"Maybe he takes after his mother? He definitely has your sense of humour, though."

"It looks... nice here, doesn't it?"

Gibbs glanced at the scenery. "Yeah. Peaceful. Seems like the gangs only come out at night."

Gibbs pulled into the school parking lot and found a space. As they walked towards the school Tony observed students finding spots at tables and under trees, talking and laughing. It all seemed idyllic, and a million miles away from his own military boarding school experience. As they continued through the broad hallways, he looked at the various posters on the walls. It wasn't often that they entered a school, and this was the school that his probably-half-brother went to, so he was curious.

"Career week, looks like. If you're not careful, you'll get roped in for a recruitment talk."

"Like that's ever going to happen," his boss growled.

"Oh, I don't know, Boss. In a few years, it might be nice to have some bright-eyed and bushy-tailed new agents."

"To take your place, you mean?"

Tony was prevented from answering as they had come to the entrance of the library. They looked through the glass panels in the doors to see three teenager around a large circular table, chatting, and filling out paperwork. Tony looked at Gibbs and shrugged before opening the door.

As they entered, Gibbs saw the teenage boy look up, then quickly stand, glancing at the tiny blonde opposite him at the table, and then to someone behind the library counter. He looked over to see a man about his own age rising from a stool.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. Would you be Misters Gibbs and DiNozzo?"

"Yeah, that's us," Tony responded, smiling. "And you would be Mr Giles?"

"Certainly," he smiled, "er... Mr Dinozzo?"

"Call me Tony. And my boss here usually just goes by Gibbs."

Giles nodded. "Well, Xander and Willow are here, of course, working on their Career Week forms. Oh, and Buffy, of course. And, er, they are the three students that make up the study group."

"And what do you study?" Gibbs asked

"Mythology," Xander supplied.

"And history," was Willow's contribution.

"We follow a non-traditional course," Giles explained. "We select a topic, and we research it. It, er, involves a lot of older texts, and the children are learning some older languages to help in the research."

Gibbs nodded. "There's a lot of sharp looking weapons over there," he said, indicating the cage.

"Yes, all safely locked away. Not even Principal Snyder ..." Giles trailed off as the man walked in the library.

Gibbs noted the angry and disgusted looks on most of the locals bar his daughter, who looked more frightened, and thought he heard the boy mutter, "Speak of the troll..."

"Principal Snyder," Giles went on smoothly. "To what do we owe the, er, pleasure of your presence?"

"Who are these people?" the smaller man demanded.

Gibbs decided that he really didn't like this man. It was one thing to insist on discipline in a school, but his daughter shouldn't be frightened of the man. And he hadn't missed how Xander had shifted slightly to block her from the Principal's view. He flipped out his badge. "Special Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo," he began. "NCIS. If you don't mind, we were having a discussion."

Snyder grinned. "Oh, no. Don't tell me, Summers, you're finally in real trouble. Oh goody," he added, rubbing his hands together, "that means I get to expel you."

Buffy rolled her eyes, and Xander stepped closer. "If you don't mind, it's a private conversation, and they're here for me," the boy all but growled. "I have asked Giles and my friends to be here, but you are not invited."

"This is my school," Snyder protested.

"And this is a federal matter," Tony interrupted. "So if you don't mind, we'd like a little privacy."

Snyder sniffed. "Well, just let me know what the charges are, so I can put them on his permanent record." With that, he turned and left.

"You do that often, kid?" Gibbs asked mildly.

Xander turned to him, confused. "Do what?"

"Jump into the firing line."

"Eh. I just hate the troll. Having an excuse to say something gives me a happy."

"And why was he so quick to assume the worst of Buffy?"

The girl hunched down into her chair. "Um, there was this slight problem at my last school."

Willow grinned. "Yeah, just a slight problem of the gym burning down."

Xander smirked, but Gibbs thought there was something of a warning in his eyes. "Fire Marshall said it was mice, though, didn't he?"

"Still got expelled, though," she grumped.

"And you ended up here, in wonderful Sunnydale," comforted Xander, grinning.

"Oh, yay," Buffy groaned, but she had begun to smile.

"So," Tony began, clapping his hands together, "now that that's done, how about we get to know each other a little better? Oh, and those DNA swabs for Abby." He pulled out the swabs and waved them around. "Just open up and say 'ah'."

Giles looked at his watch. "I'm afraid that you'll have to wait to get to know one another, as it is now time for class. But you still have time to do the swabs, children."

Buffy, Willow and Xander quickly packed up their books, and then Willow and Xander presented themselves, mouths open, for the swabs. Once those were performed, they said goodbye to the adults, and walked out. Giles quickly reminded them to submit their forms, but only received grunts in reply.

"Interesting kids," Tony offered.

"Yes," Giles agreed, smiling. "Their use of the English language is abominable, but they have good hearts."

"You have a lot to do with them?" Gibbs asked.

"Quite a bit. As you saw, they are in the library quite often. Not every lunchtime, but as often as not. And after school, of course. For the, uh, study group."

"So how much do you know about their personal lives?"

Giles stiffened. "Willow is often left alone for weeks at a time. I have not done anything about this, because, frankly, I believe she is safer living alone in her own house, than living in any of the foster homes that might be available in this town. To my mind, reporting her parents to Child Services would be akin to murder."

He sighed. "As for Xander, well, I am afraid that I have only just learned about his home life. To be honest, Agent DiNozzo, if neither your father nor you feel able to take care of him, I plan to take him in myself. I do not think his 'parents' will object to his being removed from their care, and he is, after all, nearly an adult. Of course it is a very different thing to take a male student into my house than a female student, which is why I have never considered this option for Willow."

"Have you said anything to Xander's step-dad?" Gibbs asked.

"Not yet. I rather thought Agent DiNozzo or his father might want that pleasure."

Tony grunted. "Yeah, dear old Dad seems a lot like this Tony Harris, so I don't think we'll bother with him. Gibbs and I might have a chat, though," he smiled.

* * *

Driving away from the school, Tony turned to Gibbs and asked, "So what do you think, Boss?"

"First I think we need to courier these samples off to Abby so she can get started on them. Second... Did you notice how Xander was acting?"

Tony tilted his head in thought. "He's protective. He tried to keep Willow in the background as much as possible. And he got the Principal talking to him rather than Buffy. Still, study group rather than a jock. I'm not sure," he grinned. "I don't know, though. Something about him kind of reminded me of you. Maybe it was the way he was standing." He shrugged, unable to figure it out. "Willow sure was nervous," he added.

Gibbs grunted. He'd noticed both the boy's watchfulness and the girl's nerves. In fact, none of the people in the library seemed completely comfortable with their presence, but that could be just because he and Tony were strangers. His gut, however, said something was wrong. Drastically wrong. Hinky, in fact, to borrow Abby's word.

"What do you think of the chances of Harris taking it out on Xander if we take a visit?" Tony wondered.

"What do you think?"

The younger man grimaced. "Yeah. Maybe we should just get him to move straight in to Mr Giles' place, then take a visit."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Gibbs agreed. He thought back to another man he had 'visited', a little over ten years prior. But things had changed, and he was pretty sure that pulling out his rifle was not the best option. He wanted the man to suffer for treating a child like that. And, besides, this would be harder to cover. Finally, he didn't actually know the man had done that. He was pretty damn sure of it, though.

"He didn't really act like a victim," Tony mused.

"Xander? How do you mean?"

"He didn't back down from the Principal. He's on the lookout, wary, but not, how can I put this? He's wary but he's not frightened. He wasn't as tense as I kind of expected him to be. And he drew attention to himself. Like you said, he jumped into the firing line."

Gibbs nodded. Boy might make a good Marine. Willow, however, would be his girl. Test results just better be damn well right.


	5. Getting to Know You

Disclaimer: don't own or claim rights to BtVS or NCIS

A/N: Timelines for this:

Buffy – Mid-Season 2, specifically, 'What's My Line Pts 1 and 2' (Here be Teraka!)

NCIS – Mid-Season 1, Kate is around (though back home) but McGee hasn't turned up quite yet. Essentially, Gibbs and Tony will get home from this chapter in time for the episode 'Sub Rosa', which will introduce McGee.

* * *

The school was quiet by the time Gibbs and Tony were walking through. They found their way to the library without a problem, and walked in to find their respective relatives hunched over books, as well as the librarian, himself. Xander heard them enter, and looked up, but remained sitting this time.

Tony made a face at the sight of the books scattered around the table. "You weren't kidding about the study club thing, were you?"

"Er, no," Giles replied. "No, we weren't.

"So what are you studying?" Gibbs asked, reaching for a book. With a cocked eyebrow, he noticed it wasn't in English.

"The du Lac cross," Willow answered chirpily.

"Although I'm still holding out hope for renaming it 'The Amazing Mr Cross,'" Xander added, with a grin.

Giles rolled his eyes, while Tony snickered. "Anyway," Tony went on, "we were kind of hoping to be able to grab you two young tearaways for an hour of so, just for a coffee and a chat, if that's okay?"

"Certainly," Giles responded. "I have other work to go on with, and Buffy will probably be finished with whatever it was she had to do by then."

With promised to be back, Willow and Xander picked up their bags and walked out of the library with the visitors.

"So how do you want to do this?" Xander asked as they walked through the school.

"We were thinking that I could take Willow, and you and Tony could have a chat. Get to know the other family member," Gibbs suggested.

Neither man missed the quick glance at Willow, nor her small nod. "Sure. I have to warn you, though: there's only one coffee shop in town. Oh, and Gibbs? Don't let Will have coffee. I have no need to put up with hyper Willow after you're done with her," he grinned.

"I am not that bad!"

"Sorry, Willow-girl, but you are. You are very much that bad, and you know it. You know there is a 'no coffee' rule outside of exam times."

Willow pouted, while Gibbs laughed.

"Man!" Tony complained. "No coffee for Willow, and do you even play sports, Xander?"

"Uh, no. Never been a jock, sorry."

"Are we sure these kids are related?"

"Got to get something from their mothers," Gibbs dismissed.

"So you're a jock?" Xander asked, curious.

"Oh, yeah. Got my degree in Phys Ed at Ohio State. Alpha Chi Delta, baby."

"And you work as a detective," Xander said, doubtfully.

"Barely," Gibbs offered quietly, smiling.

"I work," Tony protested.

"So we'll go to this coffee shop," Gibbs proposed as they reached the car, "but take separate tables. That will give us a chance to get to know each other."

"That sounds good," Willow enthused.

* * *

Once Gibbs had settled Willow with a hot chocolate, he joined her at the table. "So, what do you want to know about me?"

"Um... Are you married?"

"Four times, but not currently."

"What happened?"

"The last three were divorces. Shannon... I haven't told anyone about Shannon," he whispered. "She and our daughter, Kelly, were murdered by a drug dealer twelve years ago."

"Oh," Willow murmured. After a moment, a thought occurred to her. "Oh!"

Gibbs gritted his teeth. "Yeah. I cheated. I had just come back from one mission, and I was heading out almost straight away on another. I couldn't get home, so I went out and got drunk to forget how much I missed them. I do remember meeting your Mom, spending time with her, but not much else. I never told Shannon. Couldn't tell her that." He was quiet for a moment, then added softly, "She would have been a few years older than you."

Willow covered his hand with hers, and they were silent. "Do you want to hear Mom's side of it?"

"How would you know that?"

"Well, Mom kept some pretty detailed journals. Oh, not that detailed," she added, blushing. "Um, no, just her thoughts and plans, that sort of thing." She cleared her throat. "You know how there's this 'nature versus nurture' argument? Well, Mom wrote that, when she saw you, she thought of that, and when she found out she was pregnant, well, um, she kind of talked Dad into marrying her so they," she took a breath, "could prove that it was the upbringing, more than the biological input, that mattered," Willow finished with a rush.

Gibbs stared at her for a moment. "Are you trying to tell me that they looked on you as some kind of social experiment?"

She sighed. "Mom and Dad are really big in Child Psychology and Development. They were all 'accelerated development' and all that. Mom's all understanding about stages of development," she rolled her eyes. "Of course, she can't remember my best friend's name is Buffy. She keeps trying to call her 'Bunny'."

"It's a reasonable mistake to make," he offered, grinning.

"Hey!" she glared at him. "So, anyway, that's what I got from Mom's journals. Um. So you're a Marine."

"Yep. Served in the Gulf War. The first one," he added. "Joined NCIS after that. After..." he trailed off. "Hm. I like coffee, I don't like a lot of technology, and I build boats in my basement. You?"

"Oh. Um, I do like technology. I'm really into computers, programming, all that. I like coffee, too, but it doesn't really like me. I get jumpy. Don't tell Xander that I said that, though, okay?"

"Sounds like you'd get on well with Abby. She's our lab tech. Very good with computers, but sometimes I need things translated," he admitted.

"Ooh. Can I meet her?"

"Probably. I don't see why not." He looked at her for a moment before going on. "She's kind of like a daughter to me," he added. "I'd really like it if you two got on."

"I'm sure we will. So long as she's nice, of course. 'Cause I don't get on with Cordelia, but that's because she's been horrible since I've known her, and that's been since primary school. So, um, she's nice."

He grinned. "Abby's great," he assured her.

* * *

"So... Not a jock?" Tony asked.

"Not in any way, shape or form. I'm the guy that gets beaten up by jocks. But I've recently taken up running," he added thoughtfully.

"Really? You're into track?"

"Oh, no, not competing, or anything like that. No, just trying to get fit. You know, just in case I need to run away from anything. Big with the running away."

"You sure about that? 'Cause you weren't running away from the Principal yesterday."

Xander snorted. "That's different. One, there's no way he's going to beat me up. I think Willow could take him, if it came to that. Um, two, Willow was there. I wouldn't leave her behind. Or Buffy, of course. We stick together. I'm feeling like there should be a 'three', but I can't think of one yet."

"Yeah... Moving on. Movies!" Tony suggested brightly.

"Oh, yeah. Will and I play quote games."

"'Not if he's the new Dread Pirate Roberts.'"

Xander rolled his eyes. "'Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.' The Princess Bride. Don't know how many times I've seen that one."

Tony laughed. "So you thinking about college?"

"Nah. Not with my grades."

"So you have a C average. With some work, and a better home life, you can bring that up, and you're already doing the AP classes, so that's good."

"Huh? I'm not... Oh."

"Care to explain that?"

"Oh. It's just that I kind of let Will set up my classes. And I guess, since I'm in all the same classes, and she's a certified genius," he sighed. "So I'm in the AP classes, huh?"

"On a C average. And I kind of know about your Dad, so... But that study club of yours looks pretty intense," he added.

"Oh, yeah. We're all with the books."

"There were definitely books not written in English there, Xander. Books I wouldn't even think about being within ten feet of. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that I didn't spend any time in the libraries that I absolutely didn't have to. And I don't care how many weapons Mr Giles offered to teach, I'm pretty sure that still wouldn't induce me to study like that."

"Oh, it's not too bad. We get to laugh at horror movies, now. You read some of those books, and all of a sudden Freddy Krueger seems a little old hat."

"That's not exactly helping, you know. You don't read about, um, vampires, do you?"

"A little," Xander admitted curiously. "Why?"

"It's just... Mom went through this Louis XV period when I was a kid, and the furniture kind of gave me nightmares, and so I really don't do the vampire movie thing."

"But they're fun!" Xander whined.

"No. No they're not. Vampires are evil and creepy, and did I mention evil?"

"Oh, yeah, they're totally evil. But the movies are fun. And you can yell at the blonde bimbo who's about to walk down the dark hallway, and all that. But clowns, now they're seriously evil and never to mentioned again," the boy warned, frowning.

"You have a clown phobia?"

"They're sick, I tell you."

"Uh huh. So how did that happen."

Xander shuddered. "Sixth birthday party. He chased me."

When Tony fell back in his seat, laughing, Xander went on. "Hey! No mocking the little brother here, okay? Unless you want me to rig something," he added, threateningly.

"Okay, okay. No more about clowns. Or vampires," he added. "I suppose I could do more about, I don't know, languages. Or history. The books we read can be … interesting. Boring as crap, at times, too. And I only know like a few words of Sumerian." He sighed. "'Course, things are a little... cramped, time-wise at the moment."

"And you don't have anyone at home that supports you, do you?"

Xander snorted. "Ah, that would be a big 'no'. Hell, if Dad knew what I was doing, I'm pretty sure he would crack out the lame-ass 'fag' remarks. Really not supporto-guy."

Tony made a face. "Yeah, know all about that. Actually, he sounds a lot like Dad. So you really didn't miss anything there. Sorry."

"Huh. So we both had crap dads growing up."

"Yep. So what else do you do?"

"Ah... comics and computer games. Like I said, I've also started with the running, and other 'get fit' stuff. So not a total geek, you know."

"Geek enough," Tony chided, smiling. "Still, I think I can get you at least into playing basket ball, huh? There's the running, and the jumping, and the passing. Team work is good, too."

"Yeah, I guess. Could be cool."

* * *

On the way back to the school, Xander thought of something. "Hey, I had a question I've been meaning to ask you guys. Do I look like a prison guard in waiting?"

"Huh?

"We got our results for the Career Fair – they signed me up for 'Prison Guard'. Can you believe that?"

"No. Not going to happen. Actually, I think Gibbs, here, is eyeing you off for the Marines. Just be careful when he starts talking ROTC, or Semper Fi. And don't ever call him 'sir'."

"Yeah. Got that one. Marines, hey? That's do-able, I think."

"Damn right," Gibbs smirked. "So what about you, Willow? What did you get?"

"Oh, I had a computer company talk to me. There was just me and another person there – a Senior called Oz. He said he tests well, but it isn't of the good, because that leads to work. He's not so into the work," she added.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows. "So what does he want to do in life? Other than laze aroung?"

"Oh, what was it," she muttered. "Oh, yeah. E-flat, diminished ninth. I think it's a guitar chord, because he said you could lose a finger!"

"Ooh, Willow. Hanging with a band member," Xander teased.

Willow blushed, and shook her head. "He's really nice. Sweet. Oh and he was hurt in that... uh, thing today."

Gibbs pricked up at that. "There was a thing at school?"

Xander shot Willow a look before replying. "One of the recruiters went a bit postal. Couple of people were hurt. Buffy was there, but she's fine. The recruiter got away, so I don't know if anything's going to happen to her. Oz was hit by a stray bullet while protecting Will."

"Where were you?" Gibbs asked mildly.

Xander clenched his teeth. "Nowhere near. I heard about it later."

Gibbs nodded. "You guys okay for getting home after your study group?"

"Yeah. Giles will get us home. So when are you guys going back?"

"Tonight, unfortunately," Tony answered. "We could only get the two days off, and have to be back tomorrow morning."

"I'm glad we got to meet you," Willow offered. "Um, do you know how long it will take to get a result?"

"Not long at all. I've got Abby working on it, so there's no waiting time. We might even have the result by the time we get back."

Willow nodded, suddenly nervous about the result. She was sure of it, just, still...

"We'll call you to discuss what happens next, okay? If nothing else, you can come out to DC for the holidays," Gibbs assured.

"Yeah," Tony agreed, grinning. "And I'm still going to get you playing basketball, Xander."

Xander rolled his eyes, but was grinning at the thought.

* * *

"Tell me you got something, Abs," Gibbs declared as he set the drink in front of her.

Abby handed over a folder to each of the men. "Congratulations, gentlemen, it's a teenager."


	6. Making Decisions

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS or NCIS

A/N: Wow! So many reviews. It's wonderful. Of course, it's motivating me to write this story, rather than the two other series I have... sigh... Thank you very much :D

A/N 2: sigh... I screwed up the timeline, and mentioned the attack by the Tarakan at the school in the last chapter, effectively the same day as the research party. So, I would like everyone to believe that the shooting happened that same day. Which makes for a very full day, but a) I don't feel comfortable going back and changing that, and b) it actually works in this story better. So this chapter starts during the third day of the Buffy episode – to wit: Xander and Cordy are in Buffy's basement, Buffy and Kendra are shaking down Willy, and for tonight's entertainment, they will be rescuing Angel. That said, I am concentrating on the crossover, rather than the actual episode, and only referring to the episode.

* * *

"Library, Rupert Giles speaking," he answered the phone.

"Gibbs here."

"Ah. Do you have a result?"

"Both tests are positive," he informed the librarian.

"Ah. And what are your plans?"

"I'm going to visit Sheila when she gets back to the States, tell her that I have proof Willow's my daughter, and talk about her neglect. Then Sheila is going to let me take Willow home. In the meantime, Tony and I are going around to the Harris's and let them know that we're taking Xander with us. Hopefully Harris will try to argue the matter."

"One lives in hope," Giles muttered coldly.

"So what happened yesterday? At the school. There's no police records so far, and all we could find is a hospital record for a Daniel Osbourne for treatment of a bullet wound. What the hell happened?"

"One of the recruiters, the, ah, police recruiter, in fact, appears to have had a, ah, psychotic break, and began firing her service revolver. Willow was there, and young Mr Osbourne was shot protecting her. Thankfully it was only a minor injury, a scrape. Buffy was right by the officer, and managed to bump into her so that most of her shots went wild. Unfortunately, or fortunately, as the case may be, the officer got away, and hasn't been seen since."

"So you have a psychotic, armed, police officer, who has already shot up a high school, and is on the loose, and there has been no police report? What the hell is going on?"

"The Sunnydale Police Department is, at best, hopelessly inefficient, and at worst, thoroughly corrupt. I take it you've investigated the town?"

"An awful number of deaths there," Gibbs commented mildly. "Disappearances, too."

"Has anyone mentioned the number of cemeteries here?"

"Twelve. How does a town that size get so many cemeteries?"

"Good planning?" Giles suggested. "They are well used, as you can probably guess from our death rate."

"I want those kids out of there," Gibbs growled.

"As do I, Agent Gibbs. I also believe you and Agent DiNozzo will be good for Willow and Xander. There is something... true about you. I believe you would be good for Xander, also. It will be good for him to have family, but he also needs a father figure, and I think it would be good for you to fill that part, if you are willing."

"So I get two kids for the price of one," he asked, amused.

"Er, quite. If possible, I think it would be better if they were kept together. The children have been friends since kindergarten, I believe, and the stress of being parted would be far greater than that of moving so far away from here."

Gibbs nodded, far away in DC. "You know we're not going to be able to help them with their study group thing, don't you? I have no idea what you were studying there, and certainly can't help with any languages. And the only weapons I could teach Xander would be modern ones."

"Yes. And I quite believe he would be interested in those. But the children have expressed a desire to continue their studies long distance. Willow has a laptop that she will be using to connect with us, and I will be providing a list of references they will need. I should be able to provide some of those directly, and will no doubt gather other resources as I find them. And we will talk on the phone, of course. Except that that will cost quite a lot," he mused, quietly. "I think she said something about using that infernal machine to communicate, but I really don't know how," he added, irritably. "The children will have to set that up before they leave, and Buffy will have to deal with it when they do."

Gibbs chuckled. "You hate computers, too?"

"No. I loathe computers. The children and one of the teachers have been attempting to drag me into the twentieth century, but I quite refuse to go. And I have proof of technology's duplicitous nature," he added grandly.

"Let me guess – you still listen to vinyl?"

"Of course! I have quite a collection."

"So back to this … incident."

Giles sighed. "Yes?"

"You often have people shooting up the high school?"

"No, thank God. Although... The last principal was eaten by, er, wild dogs, another teacher was found in the cafeteria, decapitated. Several children have been found with organs removed, and there was an attack at this year's parent-teacher night. In all, it's not a place I would prefer to be, but I do believe I serve a purpose here. Willow and Xander probably won't want to leave, but I believe they should. I will miss them quite a lot, but would feel more comfortable even with them attending a public school in DC."

"That's saying a lot. I'll talk with DiNozzo about where we can send the kids, but I won't be sending Willow to just any school. I want her safe." Gibbs thought for a moment before going on. "What's the deal with Buffy? Snyder seemed pretty sure that she was in trouble, and there was that thing with her previous high school. I'm pretty sure it involved more than just mice chewing on power cables and starting a fire. Xander knows the story, and was trying to protect her, wasn't he?"

"Yes. He is, by nature, very protective. I believe a gang attacked a school dance, specifically targeting Buffy. She did set the fire that resulted in the gym burning down, but it was in an effort to protect the rest of the students. There were students killed, but they were killed by the gang."

"She's a little girl. What the hell is she doing being targeted by gangs, and saving students?"

"You know the saying about 'all evil needs to triumph?'" Giles asked. "As I have already said, these children have good hearts. They will not be quiet and allow evil to triumph."

"What have you been doing to these children, Mr Giles?" Gibbs growled.

"Helping them to survive in hell, Agent Gibbs," Giles responded stiffly.

There was a tense silence between them for a moment, before Gibbs replied. "I can't do anything for Buffy, can I?"

"No. She has her mother here, and I help where I can. I'm afraid you cannot help her."

"I'm pulling the other two out of there ASAP."

"And, as much as I will miss them, I thank you for that."

"We'll be there Saturday. Where can I meet you?"

"I'll give you my address."

After hanging up, Giles thought for a while, then made a phone call. "Mr Zabuto? How are you?"

* * *

"Anything I need to know, Boss?" Tony asked quietly.

"Soon as this case is over, we're heading back to Sunnydale and picking up your brother. Hope you have a spare bedroom," Gibbs added, smirking.

"It's not big, but it'll do. We'll get him set up soon as. Frequent Flyers miles, here I come."

"We also need to talk about schools."

Tony looked at him, aghast. "I have to discuss schools?" he whined.

"You want the kid here, you got to deal with the schools."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you."

"Oh, yeah."

* * *

"Anything I need to know, Gibbs?" Kate asked as they walked to the helicopter.

"You heard about Tony and me finding some new family?" When she nodded, he went on. "We're going to pick up his brother this weekend. My daughter will be following soon. She's smart. Pretty, too."

"How old are they?"

"Sixteen, seventeen. Old enough to deal with what we do, and they won't miss their old homes, that's for sure. Friends, sure. Homes? Hell, no. You'll probably meet them around the place."

* * *

Willow and Xander were sitting at the library table when Buffy and Kendra walked in. Willow was bouncing in her seat, while Xander was frowning at the table top. Giles looked up from his work at the counter, and welcomed them in. "I was waiting for you to come in. I have something to say to all of you. Willow and Xander, I spoke with Agent Gibbs earlier today, and both the tests are positive."

"What does that mean for us, G-man?" Xander asked, worried.

"Well, I feel, and your brother and Willow's father agree, that it would be best if both of you were to move to DC, to live with them. Now, just listen to what I have to say before you interrupt," he added when both of them began to object. "It's not safe here, and you know it. I appreciate your will to involve yourselves in the fight, but neither of you are adults, nor are you trained for the fight. What I propose is that you move to DC, but continue to study, and help us from there. Willow, I am sure you can fiddle with this thing," he indicated the computer with disgust, "so that we can interact even at that distance, and I will be providing you with suitable texts for the research. I will also provide you with a means to learn the languages you will need for the study. I'm afraid you will need to provide your own snacks, though," he added with a smile.

"Now, Kendra," he went on, turning to the Jamaican slayer. "I have spoken with your Watcher, and we have come to an agreement. I have noticed that, contrary to Council policy, being involved in mundane life here in Sunnydale has aided Buffy in her duties as a Slayer. I am not saying that she is superior to you, though she has had more time as a Slayer, but I am saying that Mr Zabuto and I agree that you should be more integrated into society. So the plan is that you and Mr Zabuto shall move here to the Hellmouth permanently. He shall be your guardian, and you shall be enrolled in this school, alongside Buffy. The two of you shall learn to work together as co-Slayers on the Hellmouth. The reason we have agreed for your enrolment here is that the Hellmouth, itself, is below the library. And maybe Buffy will be inspired to further her studies as a Slayer," he smirked.

"Will the Council approve this, Mr Giles," Kendra asked.

"I believe they will. I have reported that this Hellmouth appears to be stronger than originally suspected, and, since we have two Slayers, it seems appropriate that both should work here."

"So that's it? Willow and Xander are moving away, and Kendra is moving in?" Buffy wanted to know.

"Yes. But you will still be able to talk to them on a regular basis, even though they are three hours ahead of us. We shall just have to adjust our schedules."

Willow looked at her friends sadly. "Did they say when they were coming?"

"Well, I think they are concerned about Xander, so Agent DiNozzo is coming this weekend to take him back."

"Huh? I'm going straight away? But what about..."

"They had already figured out about …" Giles trailed off. "Anyway, Agents DiNozzo and Gibbs will be talking to your, er, Mr Harris when they arrive. They don't anticipate much of a problem there."

Xander snorted. "Dad tried to sell me to some Armenians when I was a kid. I don't think he's going to quibble over getting rid of me to my half-brother. But do I have to go straight away?"

"It's best," Giles assured. "I've already spoken to Agent Gibbs, and they will be getting the two of you in to the same school, so at least you're not going to be separated."

Willow bit her lip. "Well, at least that's good, isn't it."

"Sure it is, Willow-girl," Xander murmured as he put his arm around her shoulder.

"And we still get to chat, and... and still get to research, and help."

Buffy smiled sadly. "We'll still be friends. And maybe Mom and I can come visit you in DC," she added brightly.

"So, if Xander's leaving straight away, when do I leave?"

"Your father wants to talk to your parents, so it will have to wait until they get back. Do you know when that will be?"

"Um, about three weeks. Unless they have to go to New York. Mom might have to talk to her publisher, and I don't know how long that would take. Could be another week. Or two."

"And they would leave you alone for that long?"

She shrugged. "I have money to look after the house, and buy groceries. I can look after myself."

"Agent Gibbs may not be able to wait for your parents to return to Sunnydale. But we will see them on Saturday, so we can discuss it then."

* * *

"Xander," Giles said as the group began to leave, "can I speak with you for a moment?"

Xander quickly told the girls that he would meet them later, then turned back to his mentor. "Is there a problem? Something about my brother?"

"No, no. I was just wanting to see if there was anything wrong. You were looking … upset earlier. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Oh," he began as he started to blush. "Um. Well, it's just that... Um. You see... I kind of kissed Cordelia," he blurted out. "Twice."

"Oh," Giles murmured, quickly starting to polish his glasses. "Er. Is that a problem?"

"Well, no, I guess not. Except that I'm the Treasurer of the 'We Hate Cordelia' club. Willow's the President," he added.

"I... I had noticed that you don't seem to get along too well. Is... is this a new thing?"

"Er... The kissing or the hating?"

"The, er, hating."

"No. The hating began in elementary school. I am comfortable with the hating. It's the, um, other thing that's got me kind of freaking."

"Yes. I can see how it would. So, er, how long has the, er, other thing been happening?"

Xander cleared his throat. "Well, first time was yesterday. When we were hiding from the Bug Man in Buffy's basement. Kind of gave us a real incentive to get out of there. The, um, second time was this afternoon, here at the school. Right in the middle of the hallway," he added grumpily.

"So, um, do, do you think you would be able to work out a relationship with, um, with Miss Chase?"

"Are you kidding me? She's Cordelia Chase, head cheerleader and leader of the Cordettes. She dates the captain of the football team. And we hate each other. There is no relationship, nor will there ever be a relationship."

"So what is upsetting you?"

"That we actually kissed each other."

"Oh. Um. Well, sometimes, in times of great stress, such as being attacked by assassins, people react in unusual ways, in an attempt to reassure themselves that they are still alive, and capable of, of being involved with other people. I dare say that that was what it was."

Xander crossed his arms and frowned. "But did it have to be her?" he whined.

"She was the person with you at the time. But you should also remember that you are leaving this weekend. You won't be seeing Miss Chase again for some time, if ever."

Xander grinned with that reminder. "This is true. Okay, then. All of a sudden, I feel up to a party at the Bronze. Thanks, G-man," he added as he strolled out of library.

"Anything to help," Giles murmured, smiling.

* * *

Buffy, Willow and Kendra strolled to the Bronze, arm in arm. "Willow, you've been a little sad this afternoon. Since the library, in fact. Want to share?"

The redhead sighed. "Do you remember Oz? The guy I said was showing computer geek solidarity at school? You know, before the Tarakan started shooting at you."

"Um, short guy. About your height?"

Willow frowned a little at the description. "Yes. Well, he was really nice. And we were talking, and he seemed really interested in what I had to say, and if I move to DC I won't see him again."

"Well, you can always chat to him," Buffy suggested. "And he's a senior, isn't he? And really smart? Maybe he'll get into a college in DC, and then you can see him there."

"You think? That would be really cool. Oh, but he probably has a girlfriend. Being in a band, and all. And do you really think he would still be interested in me if I move so far away?"

"You are an amazing woman, Willow, and any man would be a fool not to be interested in you."

"Or Xander," she grumped.

"Well, now you've got someone else who can actually see you're female and desirable," Buffy nodded. "Anyway, here we are. No more grumpy-pants. We're here to party!"

* * *

"Fornell," the man said when he answered the phone.

"Ever heard of a town called Sunnydale, California?"

"Can't say I have. Why?"

"You might want to have a look at it. Rates for deaths and disappearances are... They're worse than you see here, or New York. I'm not sure even Bogota has it that bad."

"Got anything more than that?

"A police officer fired of her service piece in the middle of a high school, in the middle of the day, and there is no report, nothing's happening. A student was injured by the officer, and still there's nothing. A local described the LEOs as, at best, incompetent, at worst, corrupt."

"How did you find out about this?"

"Turns out I have a daughter there. Not for much longer – I'm bringing her home as soon as I can arrange it."

"Custody can take time to arrange," Fornell warned.

"Her parents have been out of the country for over a week, and probably won't be back for another week or two, maybe longer. This is not a once-off occurrence, either. If they try to fight me, I'll have them charged with neglect."

"How old is she?"

"Sixteen. That's not old enough to be left alone for weeks at a time, Fornell," he added, warningly.

"No, no, you're right. She could always sue for emancipation. That's another option for you."

"True. It shouldn't be a problem, though."

"Oh, well, I hope it all goes well for you. And I'll have a look at the situation with Sunnydale. Something sounds very off there."

"Thanks. I'm heading back there on Saturday. Tony's got a half-brother there, too. We're getting him out straight away, 'cause we can. And we'll be having a chat to the bastard that calls himself a father."

"Abusive?"

"And drunken."

"People like that shouldn't be allowed around children."

"That they shouldn't."

* * *

"This is your fault, Buffy," Xander complained. "You jinxed us by saying that nothing Hellmouthy would happen."

"It's true, Buffy," Willow agreed. "You did say that."

"What? What did I say?"

"You said, and I quote, 'So long as nothing Hellmouthy happens while they're here.' We warned you at the time, and I'm blaming you now. This is your fault. You jinxed us. And what happens? We get Tarakan assassins not just turn up, but shoot the guy Willow is talking to. Of course, Willow just had to mention that one in front of her dad," he added, in a grieved tone.

The girls looked down, embarrassed. "We're sorry, Xander," Buffy offered.

"Yeah, Xander, we didn't mean it," Willow added.

Buffy sighed. "In fact, we're so sorry, we need to apologise properly," she added, catching Willow's eye. Even as the other girl looked back, confused, Buffy leaned in and started tickling their friend.

"Hey!" he protested, squirming. "No with the tickling. There shall be no tickling of the Xan-man." By that time, Willow had joined in the torture of her best friend. The two girls continued until Xander had thoroughly surrendered, then shared high-fives over his body.

"Come on, Kendra," Buffy called to the other Slayer. "Let's go get a drink."

Willow watched the girls walk away while Xander managed to get back into his seat. "I'm going to miss this," she said softly.

"Bronzing it with Buffy? Yeah, me too. And being out of the fight. I get that they want us safe, but we're doing good here."

"And we'll do good from DC. And we can train, and maybe you can learn martial arts, or train with Agent... with Dad. He was a Marine, maybe he can teach you some stuff," she offered.

"That would be of the good. And we'll be doing research. And what's this I hear about you making me do AP courses?"

Willow's eyes widened. "Um. Where'd you hear that?"

"Tony. And when I think about it, it makes sense. I mean, we share all our classes, and I can't really see you doing the usual classes, so, well, that means I've been doing the hard classes the whole time, doesn't it?" he finished, glaring at his friend.

"Um, well... But you're doing really well. C average is nothing to sniff at, Xander. Especially with, well, everything that's been going on."

He grinned. "Yeah. I know. It was just surprising. I know you've always said I was smart enough, but, well, Dad always says... Harris. Harris always says, and since he's always been a beacon of virtue and truth, I should absolutely believe everything he says, shouldn't I," he finished, sarcastically.

"Don't worry, Xander," she reassured him, covering his hand with hers. "You're not even staying there anymore, are you?"

"Nope. Hanging at the G-man's place for now. And come this weekend, I'll be jetting off to cosmopolitan DC, where I'll have to start a new school." He made a face. "Without, I might add, my Willow-girl. You better hurry up and get out there. I can't be left alone there, okay?"

"Okay, Xander. Mom and Dad will be back in the States in a few weeks. Even if, er, Dad has to fly to New York to talk to Mom, it shouldn't take me that long to join you. And I'll start packing as soon as you leave. I'll miss Buffy, of course."

"And you'll message to her every day, and send e-mails, and talk on the phone, and all that. After all, there's big bads to research, and if that's the only way for me to contribute, then so be it." He sighed. "I'm actually going to have to learn those languages for real and actual, aren't I?"

"Yep. Oh, we can be like Winston Churchill, and learn Latin as an honour, and Greek as a treat."

"And Sumerian?"

She sighed. "'Cause all the apocalypses are described in Sumerian?"

"Yeah. But we don't have to actually speak English properly, do we?" he asked, perking up.

"No. We can specialise in Californese."

"Good. I can live with that," he decided.


	7. And We're Off

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS or NCIS

* * *

"You ready for this?" Gibbs asked his junior.

"Ready as I'm going to be," Tony sighed.

"Welcome to Glenville High School. I'm Melanie Black, and I'm the principal here," the woman introduced herself.

"Good afternoon, Ms Black. I'm Anthony DiNozzo, and this is my colleague Jethro Gibbs. We made an appointment to discuss enrolments."

"Ah, yes. You have a child changing schools mid-year, I take it."

Tony sighed. He really, really, really hated this part. "Okay. Here's the deal. We each have a child in California, they've been friends since, what – kindergarten?" When Gibbs nodded, he went on. "We are each getting custody, Gibbs of his daughter, and me of my half-brother, and we want them to continue to be able to go to school together. So. We would like to be able to enrol both of them into your school, Xander first, and then Willow, when she gets out here."

"Uh huh. I hesitate to ask, but we do have some more conservative people active in our PTA: will you be an open couple in the school?"

Tony blushed, while Gibbs snickered. "We're not a couple, Ms Black," Gibbs smirked. "We really and truly are colleagues, nothing more. Apart from it being against organisational policy to have a relationship with your subordinate, it's against my rules to become involved with a co-worker. Which I expect you to remember with Kate," he added to Tony.

"Yes, Boss," Tony replied, still squirming. He'd known this would happen. Two men turning up together to enrol children.

"So you won't be an open couple, then?" she asked hopefully.

"We won't be a couple. Period. Besides, I prefer redheads."

"Okay, then. Well, let's begin the enrolment for... who was it?"

* * *

"Feel better, now, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, still smirking.

"No, Boss, not really. I knew that was going to happen. I know it was best to go in together to arrange both their enrolments at the same time, and make sure that they both got in, and made sure they could stay together, but, man I hated that!"

"Packed for the weekend?"

"Yes, Boss, I'm all packed and ready for my headache inducing red-eye flight across the country. And I've even managed to get Xander's room set up. You know, between the job and the school interview where the principal thought we were a couple," he added crossly.

"Good."

"Think I'm going to have to move, though."

"Yeah? Why?"

"Do you really thing anyone's going to enjoy Xander and me living in that apartment? I mean, it's fine for one, maybe two adults sharing a room, but damn if it isn't going to be tight. And I just know he's going to be one of those types that just bounce all over the place. And the books, and the homework, and oh God, am I going to have to find places for swords and stuff?"

"So you're thinking what? House in the suburbs?"

"Something big enough so that I can still have people over, and Xander has room to move. Near enough to you that the two of them can still see each other like they're used to."

"That's a pretty big move," Gibbs warned.

Tony stared off into the distance for a few minutes. "I think we've finally found some family that we can be proud of," he said thoughtfully. "It's nice."

"And in a year or so he'll be off to college."

"Which could be here. There are plenty of great colleges around here, for both of them."

"They have to grow up someday, DiNozzo."

"I know. But a house is a great investment, anyway."

"Yeah," Gibbs agreed, smiling. "Yeah, it is."

* * *

Tony grabbed his bag out of the car, and slung it over his shoulder. He was regretting all this travel, and would love to just crawl into a bed and stay there for a week. Except he was picking up his brother, and that was honestly more important than sleep. He and Gibbs had to check into the hotel, catch a few hours sleep (thank God for twenty-four hour check-ins) and then head around to Giles' place to pick Xander up. After that, it off to the Harris house to talk to Tony Harris, and pick up any other stuff that Xander wanted to keep, before crashing at the hotel, and flying home Sunday. Monday, they had uniforms to buy, class schedules to arrange, and other fun stuff. Hopefully everything would be sorted by the end of the week.

Catnap managed, they arrived at Giles' place. Tony leaned against the door frame as Gibbs knocked. He had barely finished knocking when the door was flung open, and Xander was there, bouncing. "You're here."

Tony scowled at him. "Let me guess: someone let you have sugar for breakfast?"

Xander laughed. "I'm just excited. Is it wrong to be excited? I'm leaving my home and my friends, and Giles. Is that wrong? I kind of think it's wrong, and I'm really going to miss everybody. I think I'm even going to miss Cordy, which is weird, but it's kind of like I know what she's going to say, and we really get to have a flow sometimes, but then we kissed at Buffy's place, and again at school, which was really of the weird, but I'm leaving now, and I don't have to think about Cordy kissage any more, which is of the good."

Tony stared at his brother. "Xander, if you do not shut up, I am going to have to strangle you, which would be unfortunate as Gibbs would then have to arrest me. Got it?"

"Self-defence, DiNozzo. You'd get away with it," Gibbs assured him as he walked into the house.

"Really," Tony asked as he followed Gibbs. "You think that would fly?"

"Oh, certainly," Giles decided. "Between the word of a federal officer, and a school faculty member, I think you could get away with it."

"You're just saying that because I've been up since six," Xander grinned.

"God help me, you're right," Giles moaned.

"So you're excited about leaving?" Gibbs asked, grinning.

"Oh, no. It's Saturday, you see. No school, which is always of the good," Xander explained, winking.

Tony glared, then cuffed Xander on the back of the head.

The effect was startling. Xander straightened, and scowled at his brother. The happy teen of moments ago was gone, and someone darker had replaced him. He turned to more fully face his Tony, braced, as if for a fight. "Don't do that again," he growled.

Gibbs watched the boy with surprise. That was something he hadn't expected, but perhaps explained why Harris had stopped the beatings. He turned to Tony, and cuffed him. "Idiot," he muttered.

"Sorry, Boss. And, uh, sorry, Xander."

Xander looked at Gibbs for a moment, then relaxed and grinned. "That's okay. Over now." With that, he walked to the kitchen to get a drink.

"Boss?" Tony asked. "What just happened?"

Gibbs looked at Giles. "Yeah, Giles, what was that?"

He sighed. "Xander has these … little ways. The girls don't know," he added.

"Is there a problem?"

"You've been told there's problems with gangs?" When both men nodded, he continued. "Xander is very protective. He would give anything to protect his girls from anything bad, and that includes himself. He has something of an edge which comes, I dare say, partly from growing up with that Harris man, and partly from dealing with the, er, bullies and, uh, gangs around town. He plays the fool so that the girls don't see his, er, hard side, and worry."

"So the happy kid bit is just an act?"

"Yes and no. He does love being around the girls, but... It's just another part of him. One that doesn't see the light of day very often, and only when pushed. I don't think he'll take very kindly to that kind of discipline, Agent DiNozzo."

"Yeah," Tony agreed. "I would hate to be decked by my little brother."

Gibbs and Giles smirked in agreement.

* * *

Gibbs watched as Xander got out of the car when they arrived at the Harris residence. The boy made a quick check of the surroundings and of his companions before moving out, and even the way he moved reminded Gibbs of Marines he had fought alongside. The boy was much closer to the way he was after Tony's head-slap than the smiling mask he portrayed. Thinking back, he had also seen something like this the first time they met, when he stood to meet two strange men invading his territory, covering his friend, and then again when the principal had walked in. No, Gibbs was pretty sure this wasn't just a response to 'er, gangs and, uh, bullies.' The boy was far too disciplined. And the librarian was far too hesitant on certain words and phrases. There was a pattern there, if only he could figure it out. But for now he had Tony Harris to deal with.

Xander had led the men to the house, and checked the door. He didn't seem too surprised that it was unlocked, but just opened it, and stepped through. He quickly scanned the room, and stepped aside to allow the men to enter. Turning to the men, he said, "I'm going up to check my room. He's on the couch."

Gibbs nodded to Xander, then turned to Tony. "Get a bucket of water." He was going to have to walk a fine line. He very much wanted to beat the crap out of the man for the way he'd treated the boy, but that would cause more problems than it solved. More than anything, Xander needed to be out of here and far away. He did not need any legal entanglements from an abusive bastard like the lump laying on the couch.

When Tony returned with the water, Gibbs nodded, and he dumped the very full bucket over Harris' head. Tony Harris started upright, then overbalanced onto the floor. As soon as he could, he reared unsteadily upright, cursing at whoever had had the temerity to wake him, let alone in such a way. He spotted Gibbs, standing beside the couch, and swung at him. Not at all unhappy to do so, Gibbs easily blocked the punch, and returned with a textbook right cross, knocking Harris back to the floor. The second time the drunkard made it to his feet, he was a little more wary, and stayed back away from the stranger who stood in front of him.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my home," he bellowed.

Gibbs quickly flashed his ID as he introduced himself. "Special Agent Gibbs and Special Agent DiNozzo, NCIS. I'm thinking of having you charged with assault of a federal officer – a nice, heavy charge," he smirked.

"Oh, no, you don't. You're trespassing. I never said you could come in here, and I was just defending myself. You got no cause to arrest me," Harris taunted.

"Really? 'Cause I was invited into the house by a resident, and was just standing there when you tried to hit me. I was the one forced to defend myself. And I'm not the one about to face charges of child abuse," he added.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"We can subpoena the hospital records for your son, Alexander Harris. That, and his testimony, is all we need to prove our case of child abuse."

Harris sneered. "You'll never get that little punk to say a word, and hospital records can disappear. You got nothing on me."

"Really?" Tony asked, starting to get really mad. "'Cause we've already go the records. And if you were so sure he wouldn't talk, why did you stop hitting him last year?"

Harris stared at Tony, startled, then recovered. "That boy won't say a word, if he knows what's best for him. Town like this, no one wants to live on the streets."

"Alexander already has a place to stay while he's in Sunnydale," Gibbs reassured Harris. "The same place he's stayed for the last how many days?" he asked Tony.

"Three nights, I believe."

"Hmm," Gibbs mused. "Your son has been absent from your house for three days. Have you filed a police report yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"You son has been effectively missing for three days. Have you filed a missing persons report?"

"He's not missing. Lazy bastard's sleeping in."

"As a matter of fact," Tony retorted, "he was up at six this morning. Or so we found out when we picked him up from the safe house. Although," he added, looking at Gibbs, "he was right about one thing. Alexander is a bastard. Proudly so," he informed Harris.

"You bastard," Harris roared. "You take that back. I married that slut good and proper."

"Doesn't mean you're my father," Xander taunted from the stairs.

"That fucking slut," Harris shouted, rounding the couch and heading for the stairs.

Xander met Harris with a hand to the other man's throat. Rather than trying to choke him, Xander dug his fingers and thumb into the tender spots under the jaw and dragged his face close. "I told you last year," Xander growled. "You don't touch me, or her, ever." He tossed Harris back, and the man stumbled to the floor, stunned. "Tony," he said calmly, "I believe you have some paperwork for him." With that, Xander turned and jogged back up the stairs.

Tony stared at the stairs for a moment, before making his way to the kitchen table. Clearing a space, he laid out the paperwork to renounce any claim of custody. Strictly speaking, it wasn't necessary as Harris had no blood relationship. But Tony was only a half-brother, and they wanted to make things as smooth as possible for the transfer of custody.

It was nearly an hour before Xander was ready to leave. He had roused his mother and gotten her to pack. He had managed to convince her to go to her sister's place, using the trump card of Harris' fury at finding out Xander was someone else's child. Xander refused to leave until his mother had signed her more important round of paperwork and driven off. He had even stood guard at the bottom of the stairs while she packed so that Harris couldn't go up to give her a farewell gift. He warned her that he had expended his generosity with her. In seventeen years, she had neglected him thoroughly, occasionally remembering to get take-out or get clothes for him. Part of him felt that he should love his mother, but he just couldn't make himself care. He had gotten her out of the house, and sent her on her way. That was all he could manage.

Having stowed the duffles in the boot, they went to get in the car. First, though, Gibbs slapped the back of Xander's head. Xander turned and scowled, but Tony was surprised to see that it was less of a reaction than he'd gotten. Surprised, and not that happy, really.

"We had it covered, Xander," Gibbs growled. "You follow my lead, got it?"

Xander glared at him for a moment, then relaxed and nodded.

Gibbs smiled. "Let's get going."

* * *

By the time they had gotten back to Giles' place, Buffy and Willow had arrived. Xander all but bounced up to the girls, hugging both, and talking excitedly. Turning back to the adults, Xander asked, "Is it okay if we go to the mall for a few hours?"

Tony glanced at Gibbs, then nodded.

"We'll want to talk to the two of you about your new school," Gibbs said. "But that can wait till this afternoon. Call us if there's any problems, okay?"

The teens nodded, then tore out of the apartment.

"Oh, thank God," Giles murmured. "I truly don't know where they get all that energy from. I know they were at the Bronze until about eleven last night," he added.

"'The Bronze?'" Tony asked.

"Oh, it's a teens club. Sort of a nightclub, but the highschool students go there. They do serve alcohol, but not to any of the school students. I think the college students also go there," he added thoughtfully.

"They're allowed to go to nightclubs here?"

"Oh, it's quite harmless. I've checked it out. And the one parent who cares, Buffy's mother, is happy for Buffy to attend. Honestly, it is the teenagers' single venue, apart from the cinemas. And school of course, but even Principal Snyder objects to the children 'hanging around' after hours," he added with a smirk.

"Yeah, because kids always want to hang at school," Tony responded, rolling his eyes. "All the cool kids, anyhow."

"I don't think Xander or Willow have ever been mistaken for 'cool kids,'" Giles offered.

"Not a problem as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather they be smart and hard working," Gibbs replied.

"And join the Marine Corp?" Tony asked slyly.

"Wouldn't take much to get him there."

"Erm... You want Xander to join the Marines?"

"You have a problem with that?"

"Oh? No, just surprised, I guess."

"What would you have him do?"

"Oh, well, um..." Giles thought for a moment. As much as he thought a Slayer would benefit from Xander's loyalty and intelligence, he really couldn't see the Council ever accepting him. They saw the goofy child, an American with an inadequate education, and no breeding. They saw everything but the truth, something Giles, himself, was only beginning to see. "There are any number of areas he could go into. He already has a passable grasp of a couple of languages, needs much more work to become fluent, of course, and could do with a number more to become an archaeologist or student of the antiquities."

"He could pick up some modern languages, and work as a translator for the Corp," Gibbs countered.

"That he could," Giles agreed, amused.

"You don't think he would go for a sports scholarship?" Tony asked.

"I don't think so," Giles replied. "He's not much into sports for its own sake. I've noticed he goes out running every morning, and exercises, but that appears to be for the purpose of fitness. Apart from his fondness for snack foods, the boy is disgustingly healthy. Oh, and you're going to need to buy a lot more food," he warned.

"Er... why?"

"Don't you remember how much you ate as a teen, DiNozzo?"

"Ah!"

* * *

"So you're leaving tomorrow?" Willow confirmed.

"Tomorrow morning," Xander agreed, sighing. "Apart from the flight taking so long, we've got to add the three hour time difference, and getting to LA first. So, in reality, it's going to take eleven or twelve hours just to get there. We leave here after breakfast, and should get to Tony's place in time for a late dinner."

"Do you know anything about the school you're going to?" Buffy asked.

"All I know is that they've managed to get us into a school near Gibbs' place, and we're supposed to be pretty much together, like here, even though Will's not joining me for a few weeks."

"That was really nice of them," Buffy smiled.

"I think they want to make sure we're not so homesick that we take off for Sunnydale of the next available bus," Xander shrugged.

"But we'll still be able to talk," Willow reassured her friend. "And I've been showing you how to do the video calling and all that, and Giles has been getting some texts together, so it'll be just like we were here."

* * *

"Private school," Xander repeated.

"Glenville High," Tony confirmed.

"You're sending me to a private school?"

"Yes, Xander, we're sending you to a private school. It's a nice school, a small school, with small classes, and teachers who actually give a damn."

"But private school," he whined. "Am I going to have to wear a uniform?"

"Deal with it Xander. Gibbs doesn't like any of the public schools, and Glenville has a good rep. I had to go to military school, so it could be worse. You want to stick with Willow, you're going to Glenville."

Xander sighed, dejected.

"The uniforms aren't that bad. Not over the top. Just... pretty normal clothes. Smart. Except everyone's wearing exactly the same thing. So you won't stand out," he added, smiling.

"And maybe you'll outgrow those shirts of yours," Buffy chirped.

"Don't diss the shirts, Buffy. They're classics."

"They're eyesores," the blonde argued.

"I'm going to have to agree with Buffy, Xander," Tony added. "Those shirts are a little too 'Magnum PI' for me. Cool show, but I seriously don't want to live with the shirts. Besides, we'll be in DC, not Hawaii."

"I start with the shirts, and the car will come."

"In your dreams," Tony snorted.

"What will happen with the children when you're held up on a case?" Giles asked.

"I've already spoken with my neighbour. If we're caught up late or overnight, they can either stay at my place or over with Mrs Reynolds. She'll check in on them if they stay at my place. I've got a guest room that Xander can use when he sleeps over, and I'm pretty sure he knows what I'll do if he does anything inappropriate."

Xander's eyes widened as he hunched down in his chair.

"If necessary, and I've already cleared this with the Director," Gibbs added, "they can come into the office."

"Just so long as neither of them asks me for help with their homework, we'll be fine," Tony added.

"So what's the plan for this week, Tony?" Xander asked his brother.

"Well, Monday you've got testing. They want to see how your classes match up. They we've got to get uniforms and stuff. Hopefully you'll be starting school by Thursday or Friday."

Xander made a face. "Have I told you how much I hate tests?"

"Everybody does," Tony assured him.

Xander sighed. It was for the better. It had to be. It would be, he decided. They weren't out of the fight, they were just relocating. He was still going to be doing something to help. The Fight was the most important thing, and he would still be helping. It was for the best.


	8. Making a New Home

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS or NCIS

* * *

Kate raised her head as she heard Tony approach, arguing with a young male about the weather. She watched for them to enter the bullpen, and was surprised by the similarities. The teenager was shorter than Tony, which was to be expected, and had the same colour hair. But where Tony's eyes were green, the boy's were brown. While Tony was suave and well dressed, the boy was messy and, well, my God, where did he get that shirt? The petulant look was familiar, though.

"Hey, Kate, just thought I'd drag my little brother's butt around and introduce him to everyone," Tony began, grinning. "So, Kate, this is Xander. Xander, this is Kate. And be careful, we stole her from the Secret Service."

The boy's face lit up. "Really? Cool. Did you ever see the President? That would be so cool. Oh, but, the Secret Service do lots of stuff, not just look after the President, and it's all important stuff, or you wouldn't be there, and you wouldn't need to be secret, would you. And just ignore me, 'cause I'm just babbling, which is what I do, and I'll just stop now," he finished, blushing.

Tony snorted. "You can stop that?"

"Oh, yeah. Will's the one that has trouble stopping. I can stop. Sometimes. Just, you know, not all the time." Turning to Kate, the rubbed his hands together. "So how about those, er, somethings," he finished awkwardly.

Kate laughed. Xander was very entertaining.

He grinned self-deprecatingly. "It's kind of hard to change the topic when you realise, mid-sentence, that you don't know the names of the local teams."

"Don't worry. I won't kill you," she comforted, patting his arm. "I'll wait for you to grow up a little first. Then I'll kill you."

Xander looked at her, startled, before rolling his eyes. "At least you're willing to wait," he muttered. Louder, he said, "So, how did you get from the Secret Service, where you did or did not see the President, but that's a secret, to here?"

Kate took a moment to allow the sentence to sink in before replying. "I let Gibbs take control of an investigation. Got the bad guy, but had to quit. Gibbs offered me a job as I was walking out the door."

"Cool. So you like working here?"

"Yeah. It's interesting, and we do good work."

Xander looked around the area and nodded.

"Kate could teach you a lot, Xander," Gibbs offered from his desk.

He brightened. "Really?" he asked, grinning at the woman.

"Sure," Gibbs continued. "She could kick your butt."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Yeah, 'cause that's so hard," he retorted.

"You took Harris out easy enough," Tony argued.

Xander snorted. "That's 'cause he's a drunk, and I was pissed. Totally different."

Kate was intrigued. "So you have no problem with a girl being able to beat you in a fight?"

Xander scoffed. "Well, no." He shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time," he added complacently.

"Seriously," Tony asked, somewhat disturbed.

He shrugged. "You never met Cordy. And, hey! Not the jock here."

"Whatever. Well, more people for you to meet. Be back later, Gibbs," Tony added as he escorted his brother away. He could be heard reproaching his brother for being beaten by a girl, while Xander defended himself on the grounds of fingernails and something else unheard.

"Thoughts?" Gibbs asked Kate as they watched the two enter the lift.

"Actually a bit weird. For one thing, Xander seems a little more mature than Tony. Actually," she added, thoughtfully, "that one goes more under 'disturbing'."

"Anything else?"

"He has a lot more respect for a woman fighter than most. Certainly for a boy his age. A lot more than Tony, that's for sure. He utterly believed you when you said I could beat him."

Gibbs nodded. "Any other thoughts?"

"Harris – that was his step-father?"

"Yep."

"How would you describe him?"

"Angry drunk. Bigger than Xander."

"And he still took him down?"

Gibbs nodded. "Nice more. Throat grab. Bastard just about pissed his pants."

Kate and Gibbs' eyes met for a long moment, before Gibbs nodded. "We have work to do."

* * *

Xander could hear the music even before the lab doors opened, and when they did, the thumping rhythm pounded over them. Xander grinned. Anyone listening to music like this couldn't be too bad. And Tony really liked her. But then he saw the lab tech, and stopped short, frowning. He watched Tony interact with the woman, and made himself relax a little.

Note enough, though, because she obviously noticed it when they were introduced.

"You got a problem with Goths?" Abby asked, obviously annoyed.

He shrugged. "Met a few. Idiots. Nearly got themselves killed, along with my friend."

"What were they doing?"

He sighed. "They got involved in some creepy people, and my friend got dragged into it by her friend, who was all involved in it. He did die, but then he was dying anyway, so no loss there."

Abby gasped and Tony frowned. "That's a bit callous," his brother commented.

"He tried to kill my friend. Excuse me if I'm not sorry he's gone." Xander worked his shoulders to try to make himself relax. "Look, Abby, I'm sure you're a nice person, and Tony and Gibbs really like you, which makes me really want to like you, but I've just got this hang up with certain people, and the way they think, and the way they really don't think, and then try to get people I love killed. But Gibbs and Tony think you're special, so I'm going to work on not being the frowny-face person, okay?"

She glared at him through narrowed eyes for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Okay. If you're going to work on it, then that's okay. So how do you like my artwork," she added, dragging him over to a print.

"Wow," Xander commented. "It's bright. What is it?"

Tony smirked. "Cross section of what a twelve gauge shotgun did to a spine."

Xander leaned in closed. "Huh. So these are the bones?" he asked, pointing out the vertebrae.

Abby grinned. "Uh huh. And this one," she added, dragging him to another picture.

"It's very red," Xander commented.

"Aren't you grossed out?" Tony demanded.

"Huh?" Xander grunted as he pulled himself away. "Oh. Well, it's very, um, detached. Now, if there was a face attached, or something, that would be different. But you could sell this, and people would buy it because of what it was, and talk about it being horrifying, but really, it's just the thought that counts. 'Cause it doesn't mean anything until you actually say what it is." He made a face, "I don't think I'm being clear.

Abby bounced up and down. "Yeah. It only becomes horrifying when you explain what it is. Before that, it's just too abstract."

* * *

"And here," Tony announced as the lift doors open, "is where Ducky lives."

Xander wrinkled his nose against the smells of chemicals and death. "Ducky?"

An older man walked forward, smiling genially. "Donald Mallard, at your service, though everyone calls me 'Ducky'. I wish you would, too, Alexander."

Xander shook his hand, frowning, puzzled. Finally he smiled. "Oh. Mallard. Duck. Ducky."

"Real quick there, Xander," Tony teased.

Xander rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He turned back to Ducky, grinning. "So what part of tweed-land do you come from?"

Ducky chuckled. "Scotland, dear boy. And how much do you know about my former home?"

"Er... Not much? My librarian was English, though. Very English. Wears the tweed, drinks the tea. Would eat the crumpets, but I don't think he can find them. We've been trying to colonialise him. It's a work in progress," he commented cheerily. "A lot of stuff to un-stuff."

"Well, I hope you will find that I'm not too stuffy. Unfortunately, you have caught me at a bad time, I don't really thing it would be appropriate for you to remain."

Xander glanced over to the body on the table, blindingly lit by the overhead lamp. "No, that's okay. You have your work. Hope you find whoever it was."

"So do I, dear boy. So do I."

* * *

Xander let his mind wander as he walked through the school. He had popped in at the library, for old time's sake, but the librarian had been a pleasant woman in her mid-thirties, with a Midwest accent, and he had lost all desire to linger. Besides, it was modern, with computers, and no cage. Nothing to remind him of the G-man. And not even any occult stuff, or serious mythology stuff. Tony had said something about 'conservatives' on the P & C, and so he guessed they had made sure there wasn't any of that 'evil' stuff in the library. They were just going to have to do their research elsewhere.

The classes were hard, but that could have been as much because he was missing Willow as anything else. He was surprised that he had done so well on the testing. Not brilliant, but well enough to stay in the AP classes with Willow. And he'd got so bored over the last few days that he'd actually done his homework. All of it. Abby had helped, as had Ducky, when they weren't busy.

He really wanted to talk to Abby about stuff. Figure out where she stood on certain undead-related issues, but he didn't feel comfortable to go there just yet. Still, she was a lot of fun, nothing like he expected from a lab tech. Or a goth, if he were to be honest. She was nothing like those losers that Ford had tried to lead to their deaths. Idiot.

And Ducky was a riot. He'd already heard three rambling stories, and just the sound of the older man's voice, even though not quite the same, was enough to lessen the homesickness at times. Besides, the stories were amazing. The stuff the man knew! It made Xander wonder just how far his knowledge went, how much he kept hidden from everyone. He smiled. He had been sad to leave Sunnydale, but this place could really be home.

* * *

"So you're the noob," the large, fair-haired teen leered.

"So you're the jock," Xander replied in like manner.

"I hear your dad's boyfriend is an old guy."

Xander looked at the other teen blankly as he tried to decipher the accusation. Once he realised what he'd said, he snorted, then burst into laughter. When he had finally calmed down, he slapped the jock on the shoulder. "Okay, I'll be nice, 'cause you don't know anything about us. Try it again, and … well, it depends on how pissy I'm feeling at the time. I may lay you out myself, or I might just let the others do it. Okay, just so you know, a) he's my brother, not my father, b) they're both hetero, and c) the old guy was a sniper for the Marines, and could still knock you on your ass without raising a sweat."

The blond looked at the brunet in amazement. "You think you have a hope in hell of putting me down?"

Xander was pretty sure it was a combination of the Halloween memories, and the previous year's Hyena possession, but he was all of a sudden feeling a hell of a lot more confident. Keeping up the training that Soldier Boy had bitched about helped. "Hope in hell, hope in the Hellmouth, yeah, sure, why not," Xander declared, grinning.

The jock swore, and swung wildly. Xander decided, as he dodged the strike, that while the other teen might be good with a football, he wasn't so good at fighting. Nothing like a vamp, and certainly not the way Xander fought, anyway. Coming back close, he wrapped his arm around the jock's arm, and pushed down, twisting the joint. "That wasn't very nice. Now, I'm going to let go, and let you up. What I would like you to do is leave me alone. Got it?"

When the jock refused to speak, Xander applied a little more pressure. "Got it?" he repeated.

"Got it," the blond ground out.

"Good," Xander said as he let other teen up. No sooner than the other boy was on his feet, but he struck out again. Again Xander dodged, and would have come back for a second go, but by that time a teacher had arrived.

* * *

"One week, Xander. You couldn't last one week without getting sent to the principal's office?" Tony ranted.

"Okay, Tony, first? I didn't start the fight. Hell, I didn't even throw any punches. I dodged two of them from shit-for-brains. What I did do was use an arm-lock to slow him down after the first punch. I told him to leave me alone, and he agreed to do that. I let him up, and he tried to hit me again. I am not the bad guy here, despite what he says. And you know what," he went on, "this is exactly why I have no interest in ever being a jock. He is like every other jock I have ever met, with the possible exception of you, and I have no interest in being anywhere near such wastes of oxygen."

The lift doors opened, and Xander stormed out and headed straight through the lab to Abby's office, where he pulled out some books and started on his homework.

"Problem?"

Tony sighed. "There's idiots everywhere."

* * *

"Got everything sorted, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked when he got back to his desk.

"Yeah and no," he sighed. "Xander's down in Abby's office."

"What happened?" Kate asked.

"Apparently some jock thought he would try out the new kid."

"How many pieces?"

"Xander didn't hit him. He says the other guy tried, but didn't land. I spoke to Principal Brown, who said that they know it wasn't Xander's fault, there were witnesses, and the other kid's probably going to get kicked off whatever team he's on, but Xander's really not in a good mood, so they sent him home to cool down."

"Want me to have a talk to him?"

"No. I'll wait half an hour or so, and go back down. And he has officially put in his never-gonna-be-a-jock notice." He stopped for a moment, and thought about what he said. "Oh, God, shoot me now. I think I've picked up a mannerism."

Kate snickered at that, and Gibbs grinned.

* * *

Xander had finally calmed down. It had taken his homework, boredom, and, finally, Tony telling him that he wasn't in trouble with the school, but he was now calm. Bored, too. Shrugging, he wandered out to where Abby was working on something.

"Hey there."

"Hey, Xan. Feeling better now?"

"Yeah. Thought I was going to get kicked out or something even before Will got here. That would have sucked."

"Big time," she agreed.

"So... I was thinking," he began.

"Don't strain yourself," Abby teased.

Xander rolled his eyes before continuing. "So what's your thoughts on the supernatural?"

"Because I'm a goth?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's usually a pretty death-and-darkness oriented group, isn't it?"

"Can be. Doesn't mean we're all mopey, and 'my brood is bigger than your brood,'" she argued.

Xander laughed. "No, I get that. And the biggest brooder I know is so not a goth. Not that he's all hugs and puppies, but he's really not big into the goth."

Abby nodded. "Well, it's a big world out there, Xan."

"That it is. So you're into vamps?"

"What, Anne Rice and all that."

"Anne Rice, Bela Lugosi. It's a big thing, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "It is very romantic."

Abby was looking at the screen, so didn't notice the look of angry disgust flash across Xander's face. "Okay," he said thoughtfully after a moment. "Let's just put it another way. Strip away all the romance for a few minutes. If vampires were really real, then we have a group that, at the very least, kill innocent people without thought or reason other than, 'hey, I can.' Going the other end of the spectrum, we have people who get off on the torture, degradation and death of as many people as possible. Still find vamps cute and cuddly?"

She looked at him, slightly sick. "You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"

He shrugged. "I'm in a study group that looks at mythology. The real deal, not the Disney-type fairy tales. It's pretty... gruesome. Direct, I guess. I read up on a group of vampires called the 'Aurelius Line' – pretty bad. Of course," he added, "it's all myths and fairy tales. Still."

"Well, if you put it that way..."

"The goths I met back in the 'Dale? They thought vamps were 'The Lonely Ones.' Got themselves set up for some pretty bad stuff." He shook his head. "There's enough bad stuff out there. I don't feel the need to celebrate mythical murderers."

"No. You're right, I guess. So people really do use the vampire myth to get to others." She shuddered. "Okay. But aliens are okay, aren't they?"

Xander grinned. "Are you kidding? Major comic-geek here."

"Really? That is so cool!"

* * *

"Hey, guys, how's everything back in Sunnyhell?" Xander grinned into the phone. Willow had put him on loud speaker, so he could hear everyone.

"Ugh," Buffy groaned. "I'm just glad the week is over."

"What happened?"

"Mom started dating."

"Ah. The wiggsomness begins."

"Oh, that wasn't the wiggsome part," Buffy corrected.

"It wasn't?"

"No. He was a robot."

"Android," Willow corrected.

"You live in Sunnydale, go to school above the Boca del Infierno, and your mom dates a robot?"

"Uh huh. Majorly wiggy, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah. So is she still dating him, or what?"

"Oh, no. She didn't know he was a robot. None of use did. He put some stuff in the food he made, and Mom, Will, Giles and Kendra were all lala for him, but I didn't eat it, so I was suspicious. Then he and Mom were going to get married, and then he found my diary and my weapons, and, boy did things go downhill from there!"

Xander winced. "How bad?"

"I, uh, thought I killed him. There were police there, and everything."

"Oh, no." He put his head down on the table. One of his best friends had gone through something like that, and he was across the other side of the country, and couldn't do anything. Though what he could have done against a robot that drugged the food he made, he didn't really know. Still. "What happened?"

"Willow figured it out." Buffy explained proudly. "She found the drugs in the food he made, and then we went back to his place and found the bodies of his previous wives. All four of them. Ugh." She took a deep breath. "Then he came back, and we had a huge fight. That's when I found out for sure what he was."

"So is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, Xander," Willow reassured him, "we're all okay. So how was school?"

He snorted. "Met my first bully. Good news, though – he's the one that got in trouble."

"Hey, that's great, Xander," Buffy congratulated. "Uh, not the bully bit, but the fact that they didn't try to blame you for it."

"Yeah. One of the teachers saw it. Oh, and I tested well enough to stay in the AP classes with Willow."

"Oh, Xander, that's great," Willow replied. He could just about see her, grinning, and bouncing in her seat.

"Yeah, and I've been doing my homework and everything. Gods, I miss you guys!"

"We miss you, too," Buffy said.

"It shouldn't be too much longer before I see you," Willow added.

"So how is everything else?" Giles asked.

"Good, G-man. Everyone's being really nice to me here. Though, the library's not so good. They've got computers, but no occult section. A real waste of time, except for actual school stuff. Oh, but there's a guy at Tony's work, and he's from Scotland. He has these really cool stories, and speaks French and German, as well as Swahili. His name's Ducky."

"I'm glad you're finding your feet out there," Giles said, pleased. "I hope you're not, um, going for night walks, though," he cautioned.

"Are you kidding? Going out with just me, myself, and I? I kind of want to do something, but Tony's been pretty clear about the monsters that he knows about, and they're scary enough. I don't really want to meet up with Spike 2 without someone special by my side. And I don't really have anything here to go, er, walking with. You know, other than the basics."

"Er, yes. As to that. It's entirely possible that you and Willow have become known to the, uh, community, and I've become a little concerned about your being out there, alone. I know that, in general, you're safer in DC than in Sunnydale, but, still, I would appreciate if you were a little more prepared. On the off-chance, that is."

"Okay, sure. But how do I get prepared? Like I said, I've got the basics."

"Yes, well, I've been in contact with someone who is a very experienced swordsman. He doesn't usually take on students, but I've explained your situation, and he finds himself intrigued."

"Ah, Giles, just how much did you explain?"

"Everything. He knows about the sort of thing we do here, Xander, and had a, er, great wealth of experience."

'Oh, gods,' Xander thought. 'He sounds amused. I am so in for it.' "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"No, Xander. Hopefully, under this man's tutelage, you will remain very much alive. Do everything he says, and try not to antagonise him. He has a good head on his shoulders. He should contact you in the next few days, and I've given him a selection of swords for you to learn."

Xander sighed. "Ok, Giles. I'll do my best. I'll not piss off the nice sword-master-person, and I'll learn from him."

"I know you'll excel, Xander. You'll make us proud."

"Thanks, Giles."

They chatted a few more minutes, and then Giles gave him an assignment for the next week. They also arranged the time for the next call before everyone made their goodbyes. He sighed. As much as he had enjoyed the call, it had brought home just how far away he was from everybody. Ah, well. Homework.


	9. Discussions of Mythos

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS, NCIS or Highlander.

A/N: That's right, this has now become a Highlander crossover. Don't expect lots of screams of 'There can only be one!' though as I'm going to try (emphasis on try) to keep it low-key.

A/N 2: Okay. I am seriously stunned by the reaction to the last chapter. 26 reviews, and all wonderfully glowing ones. Amazing, people.

* * *

"Poor Xander," Willow mourned. "He must be really missing us."

"I know! Did you hear him? He's doing his homework!"

"That's what I mean. I've always had to push him to do his homework before. Do you think this is a sign?" the redhead whispered worriedly.

Buffy looked at her friend a moment before smirking. "I don't know. We can ask Giles if you like."

"Could it be a sign o' da apoca-"

"Quiet, Ken," Buffy muttered before she removed her hand from the other slayer's mouth. "We don't talk about that out loud in the middle of the school. We wait until we're in the library, with the doors closed, and no-one else around. Got it?"

Kendra nodded, then lowered her voice. "Why would Mr Harris doin' his work be a sign of de … thing?"

"'Cause he never does it?" Buffy offered.

"It's really not his favourite thing," Willow added, consolingly.

"But..."

Buffy patted her shoulder. Her reasonably dressed shoulder now that she was here, and at school, and having to wear more than the same two outfits every day, and had been taken shopping. "Ken, this is America. More than that, this is California, and Xander is an average, Californian teenage male. He is, therefore, a slacker, and would do anything rather than work."

"But he does work, don't he? He helps ya in ya calling, don't he?"

"Yeah, but that's different. See, for all he's a slacker, and normal and that, he's also got a heart too big to let him ignore this stuff when he found out. And he's not, er," quick look around, "gifted like we are, so he can't really get in and fight, though he does try. So his best option is to research. And he is getting good at it. He knows way more of that dusty old stuff than I do, that's for sure."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Buffy, I think Oz knows more of that stuff than you do, and he's only just started coming along."

"And, gee, I wonder why that happened," Buffy teased.

Willow blushed fiercely. "I'm sure I don't know."

Kendra shook her head. "Dis is weird. Everyt'ing is weird here. You work wit' odders, you go to school, and you have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who is a … can't say it," she added, shaking her head. "How can you do dat? What he is?"

Willow's eyes widened, and she rushed in. "Oh, yeah, because he's so much older," as a group of students walked past. "But he's really nice, and soulful."

"It don't change a t'ing. He is what he is, and dat don't change. And curses can be broken. What would it take to do dat? Has he told you?"

"Great. Xander's gone, and now you're taking his place. Next you'll be calling him 'Deadboy'. And who says curses can be broken? He's never said anything about that."

"Den maybe you should talk to Mr Giles."

Buffy scowled, then sighed. "Fine. I'll talk to Giles. If there's a loophole, we need to figure it out."

* * *

"Hey, G-man, how's it hanging?"

"Xander, must you really?"

Giles heard the boy's chuckle, and was warmed by it, as much as he loathed the nickname. "Got to say it once in a call, otherwise things go hinky."

"'Hinky'? I don't think I've heard that term before."

"Oh, no, that's an Abby word. Like wiggy, but with a bit of a Louisiana accent. She's a goth, but I've spoken to her about vampires, and she agrees that, when it comes down to it, they really aren't hugs-and-puppies types. So she's cool."

The man took a moment to take the boy's words in. "The mind boggles. You spoke to her about vampires?"

"She's a goth, Giles. And the others really like her, but I would have a problem if she was in the 'yay, vampires' club. So I gave her a theoretical. She got it, and it's cool."

"Very well. I sent you a box of books a few days ago – have you received them yet?"

"Yeah, yesterday. Nearly gave the guy a hernia, I think. Tony hasn't seen them yet, and he's off to Cuba at the moment, so I'm in the clear for a few days."

"Where are you staying, then?"

"I'm at Abby's for a few days, and then at Ducky's if they're not back in time. Oh, wait till Will meets Abby! She will geek out majorly. And the new guy, McGee, if she meets him, she's going to be in utter geek heaven! They are both major computer-geeks with the coolest stuff. And they're into gaming, and it's so cool, with the games that they play, and Abby's teaching me a new game, and it's so cool, and I've already got it loaded on the laptop that Tony gave me for school, and he said that I can have a couple of games on it, so that's fine, so long as I get my homework done and my study group stuff – ha! study group – and it means that I still get an hour or two to play games, 'cause I'm not, you know, going out at night -"

"Xander!" Giles yelled into the phone. At a lower voice, he continued. "I'm glad you're fitting in, and that they're taking care of you there. I'm glad that you're doing your homework, and the study I've set you. I do have a new topic for you, and you can use the books I sent you. Will it be a problem to get the books?"

"No, Abs can drive me home to pick up the books. And sorry about the techno-babble. I just got a little, uh, excited. 'Cause it's cool," he added, and Giles could hear the grin in his voice.

"No, that's fine. It gets a little one-sided when I only have Willow babbling away. I miss you quite a bit, as it happens. Not certain parts of you," he added, thinking of times the boy had pushed too hard with his humour, "but as a whole, I have missed you. Now, for your assignment: I want you to look up the Bezoar." He rattled off a list of books Xander would need before continuing, "We had an encounter with them this week, and it was rather disturbing. I would like you to benefit from out experience in case you come across them another time."

"You realise you listed the three heaviest books in the box, don't you. And I'm going to have to also bring the lexicons and dictionary, 'cause none of them are in English, and I'm not anywhere near fluent."

"I know, Xander, and if you were to see me, you would notice how I am grinning like the Cheshire Cat. The next box I send you will have a copy of the latest version Wheelock's Latin for you to work through. Thirty minutes a day should get you through it without too much trouble, and without overloading your day too much. This will help smooth out any rough areas in your Latin, and expand your vocabulary and understanding. I would like you to send copies of your work to me so I can go over them for you. No need to hurry, though."

"Right. The Xan-man, learning Latin for real and actual. Oh, and hey! When's that sword master supposed to turn up? 'Cause I'm not staying at home this week, remember?"

"True. I'll let him know. What is your current schedule?"

"Well, I finish school at three, then catch a bus into town to Tony's work. I stay in Abby's office or the lunch room until she's ready to go home, and then I go home with her. Or Ducky, when it's his turn. When Will gets here, I'll be bunking at her place, or going to her neighbour's, Mrs Reynolds', place. I haven't met her yet, but Gibbs will introduce us all when Willow gets here."

"Very well. I'll pass on a message to my friend. Other than that, it's up to him. And remember, I want you to pay him the greatest of attention and respect. He has a great deal of experience, and is doing this as a favour to me."

"Check on the respect, Giles. He does have a sense of humour, doesn't he?"

"Yes. But, er, consider him to be something like Agent Gibbs."

"Ah, right. And also, he's the one teaching me with big sharp things. Yep, gotcha on the respect thing."

"Quite. Well, we really must finish this call, so I'll talk to you soon. Remember the assignment."

"Bezoar, which requires a butt-load of books. Fun. Okay, talk to you later, and love to the girls, okay?"

* * *

"Hey, Xan, what are you looking up?"

"Oh, ah, magic shops. I just wanted to get something to send home. I kind of want to buy something this weekend, and thought the guys back home might enjoy something like that," he added, grinning.

"I thought you guys where into mythology."

"Yeah, but mythology and the occult really run together. After all, we're talking about gods and demons all the time, and the occult deals with all that stuff. Actually, I might get some nice candles for the girls. They'll like that."

"Cool. Well, pick out a list, and I'll take you on Saturday."

"Oh, that's okay. I was just going to go by myself."

"Nah. It'll be much quicker if I take you. Otherwise you'd have to take buses and that takes forever. Besides, you can tell me more about what's there, and what's real and stuff."

"What's real?"

"You know. Compared to the real mythology and occult stuff. I know that a lot of people make up stuff, and it has nothing to do with the real mythology, but I thought you'd know the difference."

"Oh, right. Well, I've only been doing this for like a year or so, and we've been into some more obscure stuff, so I'm not like an expert, or that. And I don't study Wicca, or anything like that, so I can't tell you anything really about witchcraft."

"No, that's cool. But you can tell me if the unicorn wind chime is really a dream catcher, or not, can't you," she asked grinning.

"I can tell you from here that that's just wrong. Okay. So, Saturday we go to Witchy Central for some candles for the girls, and a gag gift for Giles. Hmm... Unicorn wind chime, huh?"

* * *

Well, that had been interesting. Staying two nights at Ducky's place. Yeah, interesting. Ducky's mom? Boy, howdy, was she … interesting. And, please, no one mention the corgis. He was currently of the opinion that he'd rather deal with Deadboy.

Speaking of which, wasn't that interesting? Deadboy's curse had a loophole, what fun! Get a happy, lose your soul. Their weekly 'study group' conversation had plumbed new lows when that tidbit had been mentioned, and Xander knew he had been graphically, even grossly, clear about what a 'moment of true happiness' could construe. That had ended with one Slayer in tears, being restrained by the other Slayer, while the two Watchers argued about what to do. In the end, it had been decided that Buffy had to break up with Angel. The risk was too great.

Xander had gone into some of the stuff that Angelus had done (and hadn't those been fun pages in the Watchers Diaries) which had been backed up by Kendra, Sam Zabuto, and Giles. It had been hard, and a little bit of him felt vindicated by his dislike of Angel, but just the thought of Angelus being let loose terrified him. Giles later told him that he had spoken to Angel, and that the vampire had agreed that the relationship could never be physical, and that he should stay away from Buffy. He felt sorry for Buffy, but sometimes you just had to do what you had to do.

So, here he was, at 'Ye Olde Magick Shoppe', with Abby. She was so excited, and had dragged him over to the 'magical objects' section, with the candles, statutes, and other … things. And, yes, there had been a Mystical Unicorn Windchime, which was already over on the counter, wrapped and ready for Giles. Xander had also pointed out a couple of other trinkety items for Abby, and she had helped him choose a 'sorry you had to break up with your (much) older boyfriend' gift for Buffy, a 'really miss my bestest friend ever, can't wait to see you again' gift for Willow, and a 'don't want you to feel left out' gift for Kendra. They all went into the bag along with the packet of supplies for the wards that Giles had give him (very) explicit instructions for. They were wards that didn't require inherent magical ability or training, and would deter vampires and demons, as well, apparently, as door-to-door salesmen and proselytisers. Bonus!

He'd also taken a look at their books section, and gotten a business card to pass on to Giles. Knowing he'd have Abby with him, Xander had made a point of ringing first to order the supplies, and had asked for them to be wrapped and held for him. As he had explained, the person with him didn't know he was into this stuff, and he didn't want to explain it just yet. He hadn't mentioned what he needed the supplies for, but Ms Trelawny, the proprietor, had picked the spell from the ingredients, and asked who had taught him. One brief, edited explanation later, and Xander felt he had an ally. And a source for a Sumerian language textbook. Oh, well. Had to happen.

* * *

Tony opened the door to see a dark-haired man, about his own age. "Can I help you?"

"Special Agent DiNozzo?"

"Yeah," he answered, immediately on his guard. "And you are?"

"My name is Adam Pierson. Rupert Giles sent me here to train young Xander. He knows I'm coming," he added.

"Just wait out here for a minute, okay?" Tony asked, then closed the door. He walked over to the phone and hit the speed-dial. After a brief conversation, he went to find Xander. He knocked on Xander's open door to get his brother's attention. "There's a guy here. Says your Mr Giles sent him to train you. Know anything about it?"

Xander grinned. "Yeah, Giles said he'd asked someone to teach me the sword. Where is he?" he asked, bouncing up.

"I thought you already knew the sword."

Xander snorted. "No, I never really trained, or anything like that. Sure, they were cool, but Giles never really had the chance to train me. So where is he?" he asked again.

Indicating for him to follow, Tony went back to the apartment door. "Mr Pierson, won't you please come in," Tony asked.

Adam noticed the wince on the boy's face, and thought about how his old friend might have met him. He nodded his thanks to Tony, and turned to Xander. "So, Xander, Rupert says you want to learn the sword."

Xander grinned. "Yeah, that would be wonderful. He said you're an expert, and could teach me a lot. I'd really appreciate it if you could."

"And how did you meet Rupert?"

"Oh, he was the librarian at my old school."

"And where was that?"

"Sunnydale."

"Ah. Sunnydale. Nice and, er, sunny there."

"Yep, sunny, bright and warm. Not like here," he added, shuddering. "Yeah, we had a, ah, study group going there. Mythology and history, and stuff. Do you, uh, know much about all that?" At least he wasn't squeaking. Trying to talk about that stuff around a brother that definitely didn't know, and a stranger who would be teaching him the sword, who possibly didn't know, and wouldn't teach him if he thought Xander was a kook.

"Yes. Mythology and the occult are very interesting topics. Of course, I study a different field from Rupert, but we're both engaged in that general area of study."

"So, what, you're all into that magic and stuff?" Tony asked.

"No. I'm more into a specific swordsman mythos. Hence the sword."

"Any good?"

"I'm still alive." He sighed. "I don't have any credentials, Xander won't get any special belts, and I'm not even sure he could compete using this style, or use it at one of those re-enactment groups with what I'd teach him, but it will be effective, and very good for his health and fitness. It will increase his aerobic and anaerobic fitness, his strength and his agility. He will learn to be more aware of what's around him, and will keep him off the streets, and out of trouble."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Hold that thought," Tony advised as he went to answer the door.

Adam turned to Xander. "Know the Watcher?" he asked quietly.

"Know the Slayer. Went to school with her, and help research for her."

"They'll never accept you. The Watchers."

Xander shrugged and turned back to see Tony escorting Gibbs into the room. "Hey, Gibbs. Everything okay?"

"I don't know, Xander. Is everything okay?"

Xander looked at his brother. "What? You brought Gibbs in?"

Tony folded his arms. "Some guy turns up at my door, calling me 'Agent DiNozzo' and asking for you. I wanted a second opinion."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Giles told me someone was coming, but didn't give me a name, and didn't say when they were coming. I thought I'd wait until they contacted me before talking to you about this. Giles really likes this guy, and I trust Giles. And I really, really want to learn, okay?" he pleaded.

"How about you let us adults have a chat for a bit, okay?"

Xander huffed in annoyance, but went to his room.

"So what's the plan?" Gibbs asked.

"And you are?"

"Parental figure. Tony is Xander's brother, not his dad, so I just help out a bit. I'm surprised Giles didn't mention me."

Adam grinned. "Actually, he did. He also said Tony would call you."

"Wait," Tony interjected. "I'm predictable?"

"You're smart. Like you said, he called you 'Agent DiNozzo'. Not necessarily a good sign. And anything that affects Xander would probably affect Willow, who's my daughter. It's exactly the way I want you to behave. Got it?"

"Got it, Boss."

"So, you're going to teach Xander how to fight with a sword. Do you plan to teach Willow, too?"

"If she wants. I know Xander does want to learn, but nothing has been said about Willow. It would do her good, though. Help with her fitness and agility, as well as her confidence. A healthy mind in a healthy body, and all that."

Gibbs nodded. "I'll think about it. So where are you going to do this?"

"Well, not here," Adam decided, looking around the apartment. "I have a house we can train at, and I would like to train with Xander three times a week."

"So long as he gets all his homework and study group work done, that should be fine. He's going to have a pretty full week, though."

"How about Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. That means I'm only interfering in two school nights a week. He could come over, do his homework, and then we can practice. I'll keep the weapons at my place, which means he's not having to transport them on public transport, which could be difficult to explain. We'll use dulled swords, which have the right weight, but it means we won't hurt each other too much. There will, no doubt, be bruising, but that should be all."

"You're really into this, aren't you," Tony asked.

Adam shrugged. "You could say it's my life."

* * *

"Rupert Giles."

"Gibbs. Just met your friend, Pierson. Just so you know, anything happens to Xander or Willow because of that man, I will be coming for you. Got it?"

Giles smiled. "Perfectly."

* * *

A/N: Okay. That was quick. I'll stop here, because I don't want to post really long chapters. The thought of editing 5 000+ words in one go is a little daunting.


	10. Reaping the Whirlwind

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS, NCIS, or the Highlander franchise.

A/N: And baby makes ten. I have never written anything anywhere near this long, and I have a long (LONG) way to go.

A/N 2: erm... Just so you know, I have never read any of the Harry Potter books, and only seen a couple of the movies when they came on TV. (Can't even recall which ones.) I chose the name of the proprietor because I wanted a Cornish name (don't ask, I just did, call me whimsical) and it was the only one I could come up with that wasn't closely connected to my family.

* * *

"I'm curious, Gibbs. Why am I here?"

"Because you're a woman."

Kate looked at her boss. The same man who had backed her entrance onto a nuclear sub, in contravention to all known protocols, had now dragged her all the way across the country to this little nothing of a town, because she was a woman. "Care to explain?"

"I have to gain custody of my daughter. Her mother is an ardent feminist on top of being a so-called specialist in child and adolescent psychology. She'll most likely try to block my attempts to gain access merely because I'm a man. I want you around 'cause you're not. I sure as hell wouldn't bring Tony here. That would be shooting myself in the foot."

"Why don't you just go through the courts? Rather than coming here and doing it personally?"

"'Cause that takes time, and she's likely to be out of the country again in a few weeks. I want Willow out of this town, and in DC where it's safe."

"DC is safer than here? How the hell did that happen?"

"Did you see all the cemeteries coming in? All the churches? Check with Abby – this is not a nice, safe little town. You've met Xander, haven't you? He grew up here. Tell me what you think about him."

Kate settled back into the car seat. "I can't help thinking he reminds me of you. Actually, he's kind of like the bastard child of you and Tony, and, dear God, where did that come from?" she moaned as she covered her face.

Gibbs chuckled. "I'm not offended. I think I know what you mean. Go on."

"Yeah, well, it's just that there's these moments where I could swear he was channelling you, and then he turns around and makes some lame joke. There's something around the eyes that just... He's more watchful than Tony, which is weird, 'cause Xander's just a kid, while Tony was a cop for years."

"We think the kids were involved with something here. Something to do with the gangs."

"Xander. AP-class-attending, history-study-group-attending Xander? This isn't Tony we're talking about. Xander just wants to be left alone. He's not in a gang."

"You think he could have been a victim?"

She shrugged. "Once upon a time, maybe. But he's grown up, now. He doesn't tolerate bullies any more, which we've already seen. The good thing there is that he hasn't gone the opposite direction and become one himself."

"Do you think he would act to protect others?"

Kate thought about it as Gibbs pulled to a stop outside a suburban house. "Yeah, I think he would."

"You think he would walk into a fight for someone?"

"You think this is what it's all about?"

"I know he's protective of my daughter, and, to a lesser extent, their friend Buffy. And I know he's had two concussions this year, not caused by Harris."

Kate looked at the house. "Let's go talk to Dr Rosenberg."

* * *

The door was opened by a red-haired teenager. "Gibbs," she squealed, bouncing. "You're here. How did you know Mom was home now? Are you here to talk to her? I haven't told her anything about you. Are you Kate?" she went on, turning to the brunette. "You look like Xander said. How are you? Did you come for Gibbs? That's good, because Mom really wouldn't like Tony," she added with a grin as she stepped back from the door.

After a moment's hesitation, Gibbs entered the house, Kate trailing behind. Willow closed the door and led them into the house, scattering questions and observations until she stopped at a door. Knocking, she opened the door. "Mom? I have Mr Gibbs and Ms Todd here to see you." With that, she smiled politely at them, and walked away.

Gibbs and Kate entered the office while Sheila stood at her desk. "Mr Gibbs, Ms Todd, welcome. How can I help you?"

Gibbs handed over an folder. "This contains the results of a DNA test proving that Willow Rosenberg is my daughter. Given your historical lack of care, which I can have verified sufficient for any DC court, I am after full custody of my daughter."

Sheila gasped. "How dare you? How dare you come in here and think you can just take my daughter?"

"She's my daughter, too. Parental rights don't belong only to the mother. The father has rights also. And since you're a neglectful parent, and I have a suitable house and have arranged a place at a suitable private school, I believe that I am the best parent for our daughter. If you wish," he added smoothly, "I can take this to court. I can have details of travel plans going back five years, and how you have not provided for a suitable guardian for your daughter during those periods. In fact, if you look past the DNA results, I think you'll find a copy of those very results."

Sheila sat down with a plop and began rifling through the paperwork. Sure enough, after the positive DNA results, there were pages and pages of print-outs detailing lectures she'd given and conferences she'd attended, and associated periods of times she'd spent away from home. Then there were the calendars showing the blocks of time she'd spent away from home. Looking at the most recent calendar, she saw that it indicated she'd spent a little over half the year at home. Without anyone to look after her not-yet-adult child.

She closed the file and tossed it down. "I defy anyone to tell me that she isn't sufficiently capable of looking after herself in these absences."

"That's not the point," Gibbs responded. "The point is that you, as a responsible adult, are supposed to provide a safe and nurturing environment for your child until they are legally an adult, or emancipated. Willow is neither, and you have just left her alone in the house for five weeks. And this is not even the first time this year, let alone the first time ever. Now, are you going to sign the paperwork, or am I going to have to drag the names and reputations of Doctors Sheila and Ira Rosenberg, noted Child and Adolescent Psychologists, through the papers in a nasty child custody dispute?"

"You wouldn't," Sheila hissed.

Gibbs looked to Kate. "What do you think, Kate. Do you think I would drag Dr Rosenberg here through the mud to get to Willow?"

Kate snorted. "Hell, yeah. I don't think you understand exactly what you're facing, Dr Rosenberg. Gibbs here is a very determined man, and is not above bending the rules a little. He is one of the best investigators NCIS has, as is his team. And I've seen the evidence. You and your husband have left yourselves wide open for a law suit rising from your treatment of your daughter. I would not be in your shoes for anything," she added.

Sheila glared at the two of them, and tapped her fingers as she thought furiously. Finally, she held out a hand. "Give me those papers."

Gibbs handed over the paperwork, which Sheila swiftly filled out. "There's a provision here for child support payments," she noted angrily.

"Yep. Since you're a doctor with a world-famous reputation, I figured you could chip in to your daughter's tuition. It's the least you can do. I'll let her know that you asked to be involved in some way in her life. Maybe she'll forgive you."

Scowling, Sheila returned to the paperwork and finished it. She thrust it back at him. "Now take her and get out."

Gibbs gritted his teeth and forced himself to walk out of the office without a further word. As soon as he was out of the room, he noticed Willow pacing nervously, twisting her hands together.

"Did you talk to her? Of course you talked to her. You were right there in the office with her. How could you not talk to her. Did you tell her why you were there. Oh, that makes even less sense than the last question. You wouldn't be here if you weren't going to talk to her about all that. So what did she say? I didn't hear any shouting, so it seemed to go okay. Did it go okay? What did she say? Is everything okay?"

Gibbs put his hands on her shoulders. "Breathe, Willow. It's okay. I spoke to your mother, and she's signed the papers. She's also offered to pay something towards your tuition. But we have to get going soon, so how about you go and pack, and we'll go around to Giles' place for a while before we head back to LA?"

Willow smiled, then bit her lip nervously. She waved a hand towards the doorway to the front room. "I've kind of already packed," she said. "I was hoping we could go straight away. I really missed Xander, and … well, I knew I was going and..." she shrugged.

Gibbs pulled her into a hug and dropped a kiss on her head. "Thanks, Willow. Let's go home."

* * *

Giles welcomed them into the apartment. "If you wanted to see Buffy, she and Kendra are at Mr Zabuto's house, practising their fencing."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Buffy fences?"

"Oh, yes. It's part of our, ah, study group. Kind of a more practical application of the historical side of our study. Buffy is a more physical person than Willow, as is Kendra, though Kendra is very interested in the academic side as well. And Mr Zabuto, who has just moved to the area with Kendra, teaches fencing, and so is tutoring both girls. It is good for the girls to be able to practice against someone their own size and age, and it means that Sam is able to refine their styles. But they should be here soon," he added to Willow.

"You have no problem with females learning to fight?" Kate asked, intrigued.

"Ah, yes. Historically women have been kept away from anything so masculine as fighting, but there are occasional themes of warrior women running through the mythologies. Artemis, after all, was a Huntress, though not a warrior. Still, she learned war-like arts. Of course, there are the myths of the Amazons, and also the Daughters of Sineya, both stories about female warriors."

Kate turned to Gibbs. "Now I see why Xander likes Ducky."

The door opened just then, and Willow bounced up. "Buffy, is that you? I'm so glad you got here now, because Gibbs and Ms Todd are here to take me home, and I was really hoping you got back before we had to leave because I wanted to say goodbye, and I couldn't remember how to direct Gibbs to Mr Zabuto's place, because I've only been there once, and I can't really remember the way -"

Buffy covered her friend's mouth. "Breathe, Willow. In and out. Without the words getting in the way. Okay now?" she asked, grinning.

"Yes, Buffy."

"I'm glad we came back early, 'cause I did want to say goodbye before you went. Mr Gibbs, can we take Willow for half an hour?"

"Sure. We've got that much time. But we do have to get back to LA for our flight back."

"Okay. Thanks." With that, she grabbed Willow's hand, and the three girls rushed out the door.

Gibbs turned back to Giles. "So Kendra's new to the study group?"

"Yes. We only just arrived in Sunnydale about the time you came here the first time. I am Sam Zabuto, Kendra's guardian," he added as he offered his hand.

Gibbs shook the other man's hand. "So where are you from?" he asked, noting the man's accent.

"We're from Jamaica. I was wanting to move to America, and Rupert and I went to school together in England, so when I mentioned that I was wanting to move, he mentioned a shop here that I might be interested in purchasing. I checked it out, and have purchased the shop. You are now looking at a proud member of the local Chamber of Commerce," he added with a smile.

"What's the name of your shop?" Kate asked, curious.

"The Magic Box," Sam answered with a smile. "With our mutual interest in mythology and, by extension, the occult, and given the local interest in practices such as Wicca, I was very happy to be able to acquire the business."

"So you're into witchcraft?" Kate asked.

Sam and Giles both laughed. "We're more interested in the academic side of things," Sam explained. "Others, however, do require a source for texts and other supplies, which I now offer. Everything is absolutely legal. I do not sell anything that is forbidden by any appropriate laws, and my customers are lovely people. People, I dare say, you would never suspect of being involved in anything like that."

Gibbs nodded. "Our lab tech is a Goth. She's into all kinds of 'hinky' stuff."

"Ah," Giles murmured, smiling. "That would be Abby? Xander used that word in conversation recently. He likes her. Says she's 'cool'."

"He had to spend a couple of nights at her place when we had to fly out for a job. I think she got him hooked on some game, but he's only allowed to play it after all his work is done."

"And he's fitting in at school?"

"He's had a couple of problems. Did he mention the bully?"

"Yes, he said something to the girls. He said he wasn't in trouble for that?"

"That's right. One of the teachers saw it, as well as some of the students. He was upset. I think he expected to be blamed for it all."

"Yes. He wasn't treated the best at this school, I'm afraid. I'm glad he's doing better now. He seems to be more motivated to do well, now, which is very good."

The door opened then, and the three girls entered. "We're back," Buffy announced. "And, despite it being our goodbye, I made sure Willow didn't have the double mocha that she was after. As much as we hate to see her go, I really couldn't inflict that on you."

"And I am very thankful," Gibbs smirked. "Well, we really have to get going now, so we'll say our goodbyes."

* * *

Gibbs had woken to knocking at the door, and made his way downstairs. He pulled the door open, and scowled at the boy standing there. Though standing was perhaps not quite the word. Bouncing was more like it. "What the hell?"

"Hey, Gibbs," Xander greeted, wide grin on his face. "Tony said you've brought Willow home. Is she here? Can I see here? I've brought breakfast – the breakfast of champions. And I brought you some coffee, too, so you wouldn't feel left out if you didn't want any of the doughnuts I brought. Do you want some doughnuts? I brought plenty, just in case, but I didn't want to assume that you do. But we all like doughnuts. I've got a variety, too, so it's not all the same -"

"Just get inside, will you?" Gibbs growled. He should have expected this. He really should have. He walked to the steps, and called up, "Willow, Xander's here."

He heard an excited squeal, and sudden movement from his daughter's bedroom, and then she was flying down the stairs and across the room to her best friend. Xander scooped her up and spun her around in a tight hug. Gibbs stood there and watched as they babbled away, filling in the last few weeks they had spent apart. He looked down at the coffee Xander had brought him, and smiled. Things were looking decidedly up.

* * *

A/N: Not my most exciting chapter, but: she's home! On with the adventures of Willow and Xander in DC.


	11. Joys and Burdens

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS, NCIS, or Highlander

A/N: Finally! I have been nibbling away at this just about the whole time, and finally got going a couple of days ago. I still won't be able to keep up with my original pace, but look forward to writing more from now on.

A/N 2: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and recommended this story. Your support has been wonderful!

* * *

"Hey there, Xan. Looks like you're in a good mood," Steve said as he caught up.

Xander looked over at the other teen. Steve was one of the first friends he'd made at this new school, and a runner. Xander had started running after Halloween, and found that he liked it. Since starting at the school, he had started meeting up with Steve for morning runs. Steve had started pushing him to join the track team, but Xander was holding back. After all, not a jock.

"My Willow is here!" he boasted happily.

Steve looked around quickly, then turned back to Xander, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh, not here here. She's here in DC, though. She's with her dad at the moment. Getting uniforms, books, whatever. I'm not sure if she has to do tests, or if they will let her just slot in based on how much better her grades are than mine,' he added, grinning.

"So when's genius girl starting?"

Xander couldn't stop grinning. "This week. Hopefully in the next couple of days. It's going to be great. I've missed my Willow-girl so much."

"No, really? I hadn't noticed," his friend protested.

Pouting, Xander reached out to slap Steve on the head, but the other teen ducked out of the way, chuckling. Then Steve reached out and slapped Xander on the arm. "Tag. You're it," he shouted, running off.

With a growl, Xander took off after his friend.

* * *

Ducky looked up as Gibbs entered the morgue. "Anything I can help you with, Jethro?"

The other man smiled. "I've brought my daughter down to meet you. I was just checking it was okay to bring her in. I don't really want her to see anything too much."

"Of course not," Ducky agreed. "Well, as you can see, it's pretty clear in here, so you can bring her in, or I can come out if you would prefer."

"No, I'll just go and get her." Moments later, Gibbs returned with his daughter. "Ducky, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Willow Rosenberg. Willow, this is Dr Donald Mallard, better known as Ducky."

"Willow," Ducky exclaimed, taking her offered hand, "such an unusual name. One often wonders which particular species the parents were considering when they chose that name, and what were the characteristics they decided were sufficiently pleasing," he mused. "I highly doubt they thought of the wood's efficacy in the creation of cricket bats, or the twig brooms that can be made from them, although perhaps the species' medical significance was important, as I understand they are doctors?"

"Um, I think they just thought it sounded pretty," she confessed. "I was born in California, after all."

"Oh, yes. Quite. Still -"

"Easy, Duck. Don't want to scare her away," Gibbs warned.

"Oh, no, it's fine" Willow reassured Ducky hurriedly. "You kind of remind me of Giles. Xander said something like that when we were talking about the people here. And it would be lovely to hear some of your stories. Xander said they were fascinating. But not right now. I think Gibbs wants me to meet Abby now."

"Ah, yes. Young Abigail. I believe you will quite enjoy meeting her. Alexander has also spoke to me about you, you should know. He has missed you quite dreadfully, poor boy. I believe he has been doing all of his homework out of sheer loneliness and boredom!"

Willow giggled at that. "Yeah, that's what he said. And that you and Abby have been helping him. Thanks so much for that."

"Oh, you're quite welcome. He has been doing very well with his schoolwork. I believe having interested teachers and other adults has done him the world of good."

"I always said he was smart," the girl agreed. "Now he has other people who agree with me."

"Well, you can have a conference about Xander's homework later," Gibbs decided. "Now on to Abby's lab."

* * *

Willow grinned as her father led her into the lab. Loud music filled the air, just like Xander said there would be, and the slender Goth scientist was perched on a stool, working on a computer, bobbing her head to the beat.

Gibbs stepped around into Abby's field of vision, causing her to jump up from her stool. "Gibbs. I don't have anything for you. You haven't given me anything to do today, so that's why I don't have anything to do for you. Why are you here? You haven't given me anything to check up, so that's why I don't have anything for you."

"Can't I just come down to see you?" Gibbs asked.

"No. You always have a reason. You are a very busy man, and you are always doing something. You don't just come down to chat. So why are you here?"

Gently, Gibbs took the woman by her shoulders and turned her to face his daughter. With a squeal, she dashed over to the redhead and hugged her. "You're here. Gibbs brought you here. Gibbs, you brought Willow to see me. When did you get in? You didn't tell me you were bringing Willow home. Willow, you didn't know you were coming to DC this week, did you? Why didn't you tell me you were coming here?"

Willow laughed. "I didn't know. Gibbs picked me up on Saturday. He flew in like Superman, and carried me off. He and Kate went in to talk to Mom, and there wasn't even any shouting or anything, and then he came out and we went around to Giles' place so that I could say goodbye to everyone, and then we flew home, and then Xander brought doughnuts and coffee around on Sunday morning and we spent all day catching up, and he said that you would show me Major Mass Spec, and all your computers, and where's Bert? I need to see Bert. Xander said I had to see him and give him a big hug, so where is he, Missy?" she finished, folding her arms, and revealing her 'Resolve Face'.

"Wait a minute," Gibbs protested. "Just when did you two get to be such buddies?"

"Oh, well, you know how Xander spent time at my place?" Abby asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, we kind of got talking about his friends back in Sunnydale, and the study group, and have you seen the books he reads? They're huge, and not at all in English, and he was looking up these creepy egg things, and then I let him call his friends, and we were all chatting, and then Willow and I got chatting, and we've been chatting every week since then, and IM'ing, and e-mailing, and now she's here!" Abby finished triumphantly.

"Uh huh. So you've already started corrupting my daughter, have you?"

"Oh, no. Actually, it's been very revealing, talking to Willow's friends. I know not to allow her any of my Caff-Pow, or to let Xander have much sugar, and I have been warned of the consequences of allowing them to have forbidden foods together."

"Oh, come on," Willow whined. "We're not that bad."

"Uh huh. I saw the look on Buffy's face when she mentioned that particular thing. Remember? We had just set up the computer so that we could video-conference and she had an suitably horrified look on her face when that came up. And Giles was looking very pale," Abby added solemnly.

Gibbs snorted. "They ate a box of doughnuts for breakfast on Sunday. I'm here to say that that will not be happening again, at least not anywhere I will be."

"So," Abby decided, "school. Spill."

"Well, you know that I'm going to the same school as Xander," Willow began. "It's a private school, complete with uniform." Abby and Willow both made a face at that thought. "Ms Black said that since my grades were so high, and Xander did so well in testing, that they are going to allow me to just slot straight in to the classes. So tomorrow I have to get my uniforms," again both of them made a face, "and pick up my books. And on Wednesday I start at school with Xander. I kind of feel guilty about missing two days of school, but Xander said I could have a look at his work for today and tomorrow, so that I know where I am, and he's going to look after me at school, which he's always done, well not for classes, but, you know, everything else, but now he's looking after me for schoolwork, too, which is uber weird and rather disturbing, and if I didn't know better, I would think it was a sign of the apocalypse, but we talked about it back in Sunnydale, and decided that it was only a sign if he not only did his homework, but got B's or A's and even got ahead on his homework, so things are looking fine so far," Willow finished confidently.

"Not much for the studying, huh?" Abby commiserated.

"He's never had any encouragement before. I was the only person who ever told him he could do anything, and I'm the girl he shared his crayons with in Kindergarten, so I sort of really don't count."

Abby nodded. "But he knows better, now, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, with Tony and Gibbs, and everyone else here encouraging him, and he said the teachers actually seem to like him at school, which, in itself, is enough of a reason for me to put up with the whole uniform thing, and the fact that he's been surviving AP classes which he didn't realise he was actually doing, but now he knows, and he's realised that he's not actually as dumb as Mr Harris told him he was, so he now has a reason to do well in school. I think he's actually even thinking of college, now," she added, smiling proudly.

"That is so cool! He's going to do languages, right? Maybe archaeology, or anthropology?"

"Yeah, I think so. Ideally, he would go to England, and study at Oxford, then maybe work with a group we know, but he doesn't thing they would go for that, as they can be really stuffy, and he wouldn't fit in. But there's other things he could do."

"Join the Marines," Abby suggested, with a smirking glance at Gibbs.

Willow rolled her eyes. "I can just see him doing that, too. It would be just like him to want to run off and save the world."

"Nothing wrong with that," Gibbs countered.

"There is when I'm stuck at home worrying about him," Willow grumped.

Gibbs wrapped an arm around Willow's shoulders and hugged her. "I'm sure he'll make the right decision about his future. Besides, he's not going anywhere for a year and a half. You have all that time to discuss his education with him."

Willow leaned into the hug. "Yeah. I just worry, sometimes."

* * *

Willow was leaning on Abby's counter-top when she was suddenly grabbed and spun around. Gasping, she smacked Xander on the arm. "What was that for, mister?" she demanded.

"Just happy to see you," he grinned.

The redhead rolled her eyes. "So lets take a look at your books. I want to see this homework you're allegedly doing."

Xander started pulling out books and setting them on the counter. "I even brought my notes from school so that you could see where we're up to. Of course, they're not up to Willow-notes level, but they are notes, and they actually make sense, or at least to me, so that's good. Did Gibbs say when you're starting at school? I've already told some people that you're coming, and they're really looking forward to meeting you. I've missed you in class, especially today. I could hardly concentrate because all I could think about was the fact that you were in DC and you'd be at school soon. When are you starting at school?"

Willow chuckled at hugged her friend. "I start Wednesday. I get my uniform tomorrow, and already have my books, and everything. I have my class schedule, and we're in just about all the same classes, except I think you're in a different sports class than mine. Same time, but different group."

"Cool," her friend grinned.

"So how're your sword lessons going?"

"Ugh. Slowly. He's got me doing basic exercises to strengthen my wrists and build my muscles, all that. And whacking me silly when I'm not standing right or holding the sword right, or whatever. You know," he added thoughtfully, "pain is a pretty good motivator. So you going to join me?"

She made a face. "I don't think so. I'd rather be, I don't know, back up or something like that. Maybe I could learn something, uh," she quickly looked around, "something, um, supportive. Like, you know, what Ms Calendar does."

Xander frowned as he thought about the computer teacher. "Well, you're already pretty good at... Oh, yeah. The other stuff. Well, so long as you find a good teacher, and go at it properly, that would probably be really useful. But, just like Mr Pierson has me doing with the sword, you need to learn the foundational stuff properly if you're going to last."

"You're giving me advice?" Willow asked, eyebrows raised. "You're giving me advice, more importantly, on how to learn?"

Xander blushed and shrugged. "The way we were learning things back in the 'Dale wasn't really that good. Giles just didn't have the time to teach us properly, and it was all rushed, and not good for any kind of longevity. I think that if you started learning, uh, that stuff back there, you would push ahead, and learn things that were far too heavy for you. Sure you could probably do them, but I think it would be like launching into a fight with a big sword and killing something, but you'd pay for it for the next few days. If, of course, you hadn't managed to slice of something important, or kill one of your friends in the meantime. So... Just take it slowly? Learn properly? For me?" her friend begged.

Willow chewed her lip for a moment, then nodded. "Actually I think I'll concentrate on what I can do for now. Maybe when we get to college I might look up someone to teach me."

"Great," Xander grinned. "So do you want to look at my homework with me?"

"Just so long as you're doing your own homework, mister. I know you can, so you're doing all of your own homework from now on. And getting solid B's, too," she added, Resolve Face firmly in place.

Xander rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mom," he sighed.

* * *

Willow and Xander were at her house, looking at Willow's laptop. They had set it up with a microphone and speakers, and were connecting with the group in Sunnydale. Xander grinned as the picture opened up to show their friends in the school library.

"Hey G-man, Mr Zabuto, girls, and, of course, Oz."

The slight guitarist nodded while Giles frowned. "How is it that Sam gets 'Mr Zabuto' while I get that infernal nickname?"

"Well, I don't really know him well enough to call him anything like that. Besides, 'Z-man' is a little derivative, don't you think?"

"Certainly," Sam inserted smoothly. "An insult to your own creativity, not to mention your much closer relationship with Rupert."

"Git," Xander heard Giles mutter to his colleague.

"So how goes it in Sunnyhell?" Xander asked cheerfully.

"Oh dear," Willow murmured when they saw everyone's expression change.

"That bad?" Xander asked nervously.

Giles glanced at Sam, then asked, "We have a phrase that I would like to pass by you two. Maybe you can think of something we haven't already thought of. 'No weapon forged can stop him.'"

"Um..." Xander thought. "Get an unforged weapon? Do we even forge weapons now?" he asked, turning to Willow. "I mean, they're made in big factories, not like swords being made by a smith. So you want a modern weapon."

"Yeah, but what?" Buffy asked.

Xander opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. He cleared his throat. "You remember what happened at Halloween?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah, you turned into a -" Buffy began, but Xander waved hurriedly for her to be quiet. She frowned, but didn't say any more.

"Yeah, that. Um, well, I can think of some things that might be useful, but I really don't want to say anything, er, like this."

Oz tilted his head in thought, then nodded. He leaned over an whispered in Giles' ear, and Xander was pleased to see the older man's eyes widen in understanding.

"Er, yes, well, is there any way that we can discuss this more thoroughly?"

Xander sighed. "Really, I would only want to discuss this face to face. It's not something I want out there. I'll think of a way of discussing it, but in the meantime, try thinking about what I would be thinking of. You know, given how I was thinking that night."

"Yeah, but how are we going to get it?" Oz asked. "What I'm thinking of isn't exactly off the shelf."

"No. I know. Okay," he decided, "let me think about it."

"We are on a truncated timeline," Giles reminded him.

"Yeah, I get that. I'll work on it."

* * *

"Hey, Steve," Xander said as he approached his friend, "I need you to do something for me."

"Like what?"

"Like cover for me for a day or two."

"With who?"

"My brother and Willow's dad."

The runner looked away as he thought about it. "It'll cost you," he warned.

"Whatever. I need this."

"What are you doing?"

"I can't tell you. But it's not … bad. It's something that has to be done, and I'm pretty much the only person who can get it done. Hopefully I can go one day and be back the next, but I may need you to cover for me for two nights. And it's like tomorrow night," he added guiltily.

"Tomorrow night," Steve hissed, looking around. "Ever heard of giving notice?"

"Yeah, and this is about as much notice as I have, Steve, I swear. This has to happen. Can you help me?"

Steve ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah. Okay. But you owe me. Real big. Like 'join the track team' big."

"Oh man! Are you still on that kick?"

"Yeah. That's your payment."

"Fine. Whatever. Okay, I have a call to make. Oh, and you'll have to take my absence letter to the office for me. Hope to God they don't call my brother," Xander muttered.

* * *

"Giles, I need you to do something," Xander told the older man when he answered the phone.

"What do you need?"

"Tickets. I need to fly out there tomorrow, and back the following day. I'll get you your thing, but I can't hang around. Tony and Gibbs would both kill me if they found out what I'm going to do."

"Is this the only way?"

"I know the where, the what and the how, and I don't feel comfortable talking about it over the phone."

"Very well," Giles conceded. "Oz explained things to me, so I understand your reluctance to discuss matters. I will book the flights now, and I will try to minimise your time here. Have you considered how you're going to explain your absence?"

"Yeah. I've got someone covering for me. Paying for it, too, but that's something that will probably make Tony happy, and I can live with the price, so it's okay."

"What's the price, if you don't mind my asking?" the Librarian asked, concerned.

Xander sighed. "I have to join the track team."

Giles blinked. "That's it?"

"G-man," Xander warned, "it makes me a borderline jock. Not something I want to be. It's a big thing for me."

The older man smirked. "Yes, well, there are prices to be paid, and burdens to be carried. This is yours," Giles conceded.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Xander grunted, disgusted.

"Don't mind if I do."


	12. Busted!

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS, NCIS or Highlander.

A/N: Dialogue taken from /buffy_tran_ but substituting Buffy for Cordelia.

* * *

Giles stood in the airport, waiting for the familiar face of the young brunet to appear. Finally, the boy walked out, carrying only an overnight bag. Giles greeted Xander, and took his bag. "So is there anything you can discuss with me yet, or do you want to wait for a little more privacy?"

"You brought your car?" the boy asked. When Giles nodded, Xander sighed. "Okay, there'll be plenty of time to talk in the car, then."

"It's not that bad," Giles complained.

"Yes. Yes, it is," Xander assured the Librarian.

Giles smiled as he shook his head. "As you wish."

Once they were in the car, Xander began to outline his plan.

* * *

Xander pointed out the parking spot to Oz as they drew up near the Base in his van. "Wait here. When you guys see that window open get out the ladder, come up, we'll pass you the package, okay?"

"Okay," Oz murmured.

Xander hopped out of the van, and straightened his fatigues. Buffy quickly followed and tugged her skirt into place.

"The security here really is a joke. I should, uh, report it," he grumbled.

"Who am I supposed to be again?" Buffy asked.

"You're supposed to be a girl," Xander grinned. "Think you can handle it?"

Buffy slapped Xander on the arm, causing him to protest softly as he led them into the base. They were almost at the armoury when one of the guards stopped them.

"Halt! Identify yourself right the hell now," the soldier growled.

"Uh... Private Harris with the, uh... 33rd," Xander offered.

"33rd are on manoeuvres," the guard objected.

"Right! Uh, I'm on leave. From them," he countered, hoping the guy would just accept it.

"You always spend your leave snooping around the armoury, pal?" the other man sneered. "And who is she?"

"Hi," Buffy chirped. "I'm not a soldier. Right?" she added, glancing at Xander. Xander sidled up to the guard.

"Look," he murmured, "I... I just want to give her the tour. Uh, you know what I'm saying," he added, blushing slightly.

"'The tour,'" the soldier repeated sceptically.

"Well, you know the ladies. They like to see the big guns. Gets them all hot and bothered. Can you cut me some slack, give me a blind eye?"

"And why should I?"

"Well, if you do, I won't tell Colonel Newsome that your boots ain't regulation, your post wasn't covered, and," he grimaced and added, grabbing the guard's rifle before handing it back properly, "and you hold your gun like a sissy girl."

The soldier huffed. "You got twenty minutes, nimrod."

Xander grinned. "I just need five." He started to walk away, but turned back to the guard. "Uh, forget I said that last part."

The soldier rolled his eyes, checked his watch, and wandered off. Xander opened the door to the armoury and let Buffy in before following her.

"Okay, what was that?" Buffy demanded, smiling slightly. "And who are you?"

Xander grimaced. "Remember Halloween, I got turned into a soldier?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I still remember all of it," Xander explained. "I know procedure, ordnance, access codes, everything. I know the whole layout for this base, and I'm pretty sure I can put together an M-16 in fifty-seven seconds."

Buffy nodded. "Well, I'm sort of impressed. But let's just find the thing and get out of here."

"Okay," Xander agreed as he started looking around.

Buffy eyed a crate before jumping up to sit on it. "So, does looking at guns really make girls wan to have sex? That's scary."

"Yeah, I guess," Xander responded absently.

Buffy smirked. "Well, does looking at guns make you want to have sex?"

Xander gave her a look. "I'm seventeen. Looking at linoleum makes me want to have sex." He continued looking before grinning. "And this is it," he decided running his hand along a long box.

* * *

He was beginning to hate flying. How Tony and Gibbs managed it so many times in the weeks leading to his and Willow's moves here, he didn't know. Two flights in as many days, and he was ready to crawl into bed. Except it was Saturday, and he had sword training, so that was out. What he could do, what he had to do before leaving the terminal, was phone Giles.

"Hey, G-man," he greeted when the older man answered the phone. "What's the what?"

"I am in too good a mood for your silly nickname to affect me today," Giles replied.

"So it worked?"

"Like a treat. Spike and Drusilla got away again, of course," he grumbled, "but we got just about all of their minions. The girls are not impressed with the mess we made of the mall, though."

"The mall?" Xander asked, confused.

"Oh, yes. I should explain. They had to take the Judge somewhere where he could, er, 'charge up'. He needed to consume a lot of people before he could truly get going. The Bronze was suggested, but it was closed for some reason, so Oz suggested the mall. It was an excellent suggestion, and Buffy was able to use her, er, present to good effect. Unfortunately it made a decided mess of the food court. We collected all the of the pieces that we could find, and will be shipping a good portion back to the Council headquarters at the earliest possible time. Another portion will be buried somewhere off the Hellmouth, while another will be scattered at sea. As the Judge cannot be activated until fully reassembled, it is unlikely that this will happen again if we can suitably scatter the pieces," Giles explained cheerfully.

"How about you send a couple of portions this way?" Xander suggested. "I can bury some locally, and maybe scatter some on the Potomac. Between the ocean currents of the Pacific, and the river currents of the Potomac, they should be well and truly scattered."

"That is a very good idea, Xander," Giles agreed. "Very well, I will send two packets in the next parcel for you to dispose of. The only problem now is how to dispose of, er, Buffy's birthday present."

"Keep it. You never know when you might need something like that again. And I made sure to get some extras for it, so it's not a once-only thing. And it was a present," he reminded the older man. "You don't throw presents like that out. They're heirlooms," Xander added, joking.

"Yes, I can see it now. 'And this lovely piece was a seventeenth birthday present from my dear friend Xander.'"

"Pull it out for her fortieth," Xander agreed heartily.

Xander heard a soft hiss of breath. "I certainly hope we might do so," Giles whispered.

* * *

Xander unlocked the door to the apartment. With any luck, Tony would be out, and he could just duck in and get changed in time for his training with Mr Pierson. He stepped into the apartment to find that not only was Tony there, but Gibbs and Willow were also there, the men looking angry, heading to furious, while his friend looked guilty.

"Have a good time with Steve last night?" Tony asked, arms folded.

"I'm sure you know I was nowhere near Steve's place yesterday or today," Xander replied, trying to remain calm. He had to find out exactly what they knew.

"No, you were in California yesterday. Nice flight home?" Tony asked sarcastically.

"It was a shit flight, I'm exhausted, and am I getting to Mr Pierson's any time today?" Xander asked, not holding much hope.

"No, you're not getting to Mr Pierson's any time today. I've already called him. You're grounded for a week. What the hell were you doing sneaking out to Sunnydale, of all places?"

Xander shrugged. So far, so good. Only asking about Sunnydale, and not stolen anti-tank weaponry. Oh, well... Ready the absent victim. "It was an emergency. I had to go."

"What kind of emergency requires the presence of a teenage boy from the other side of the country?" Gibbs asked, finally entering the conversation.

"One of my friends was having a problem with her boyfriend. She had to break up with him, and so he went all stalker-guy on her."

"And her parents and the two adults of your group couldn't do anything about it?"

"She only has her mom, and Angel wouldn't listen to Giles or Mr Zabuto. He will listen to me."

"Yeah, 'cause a teenager is more impressive than two adults," Tony argued.

"He's listened to me before," Xander shot back. "And he's not the type to be scared by a couple of W- teacher types."

"'W-'" Gibbs pounced.

Xander rolled his eyes. Of course Gibbs would latch onto that. "World-class eggheads," Xander offered. "They're great people, but, honestly, not the scariest of men."

"And you are?" Tony asked, sarcastically.

Xander's head jerked up as he straightened unconsciously. "When I have to be. Angel's old gang was back in town, and he had gone all creepy-stalker-guy and hooked up with those psycho wannabes. I flew back to talk to him. He's leaving her alone, now."

"Ever heard of a thing called a 'restraining order'?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, like those ever work," Xander returned. "Look, it's fine. He's backed down, and he won't be hanging around any more."

"So why did Mr Giles pay for your ticket?" Gibbs asked.

"'Cause I don't have a credit card. I gave him some money for the ticket, but couldn't pay for it myself. Is that important?" Xander asked, suspicious.

"Don't know until I ask, do I?" Gibbs replied. Turning to Willow, he asked, "What's this Angel like?"

Willow's eyes went wide at the sudden question. "Uh, well, he's older."

"How much older?" Gibbs asked, making sure to keep his tone light.

"Oh, um, way older. Like, er, Xander," she yelped.

Xander rolled his eyes. "He's way old," he shrugged. "Like twenties, I think. Maybe twenty-six?" he considered, frowning.

"Which is way old for a sixteen-year-old," Willow added, as if to reassure Tony.

Tony and Gibbs both scowled at that. "Way too old for a girl that age," Gibbs agreed. "Her mom know?"

Xander scoffed. "What do you think? He's all tall, dark and handsome, with that mysterious air, and all that. But she's over that, now, thankfully."

Tony and Gibbs exchanged long looks. Finally, Tony turned back to Xander. "You should have spoken to me first."

"It was an emergency."

"You missed a day of school."

"It was an emergency, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. They needed me. I can make up the day," he offered.

Gibbs walked up to Xander and stopped right in front of him. "Next time you talk to us. First."

Xander folded his arms and stared back. "Better to seek forgiveness than permission. Maybe you should add that to your rules."

Gibbs glared at the boy, before rolling his eyes. "It's number eighteen."

Xander tried, but couldn't keep the smirk down. "And..."

Gibbs reached around and slapped the back of the boy's head. "Next time you ask first. That's non-negotioable."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Yes, Dad. Am I still grounded?"

"Hell, yeah!"

* * *

When she was finally able to get him alone, Willow grabbed Xander's arm. "Please, please, please, please please! tell me that all a lie!" she begged.

"And a doozy of one," Xander confirmed. "They're not together because of the whole curse-loophole issue, but you knew that already. But I needed something, and you know how I feel about Angel. It was fun to throw him on the firing line. Of course now I need to make sure Gibbs and Tony never get a hold of him, and I have to make sure Giles know's what's the what, just in case Gibbs or Tony tries to tear him a new one."

"You had me so scared there for a while. Thinking about Angelus turning up as well as the Judge. So how did that go?" she asked.

Xander grinned. "Blue guy go boom! I couldn't stay for the honours, but I called Giles when I landed, and they caught up to him at the mall. Buffy used the rocket launcher, and they were picking up Judge bits for hours. Made a real mess of the mall – the girls are not happy about that one, apparently. Security on the base is laughable. I mean, who in their right mind has the armoury forming part of the boundary, with an unguarded window actually opening to the outside? It's ridiculous," he scoffed, disgusted. "I'd call them on it, but we might need to get back in at some point. And it's way cheaper than trying to find an arms dealer," he added, grinning.

Willow sighed and leaned against him. "Maybe we can have some normal death and mayhem for a while," she whined softly. "That would be nice."

"It certainly would," Xander nodded. "The Master last year, and the Judge this year. I'm getting a little over the apocalypse thing. I thought there was only supposed to be one of those."

Willow turned to look him in the eye. "Does this mean we're going to need a plural for apocalypse?"

Xander laughed.

* * *

Steve caught up with Xander as he approached the school. He bit his lip, and asked, "So how'd it go?"

"Good and bad. Got the thing sorted out like I needed to, but Tony sprung me. I'm grounded for a week. No sword lessons," he grumbled. "But other than that, alive and kicking. Just not partying. So I count that a win. Thanks for covering for me. As much as you could, of course. I don't expect anyone to stand up to Tony and Gibbs in a bad mood."

"Will's dad is scary, and I don't care who hears me say that," Steve admitted, shaking his head.

"Oh, yeah," Xander agreed.

"So..." Steve drawled. "You'll be seeing Coach Jensen today?"

Xander glanced sidewards at his friend. "What for?"

"Signing up for track," Steve smirked.

"Damn! Thought you'd forgotten that," Xander muttered.

"Oh, hell no," the other teen gloated. "I even told Coach that you would be feeling up to trying out today, so you have no excuse."

"You are evil, you know. Pure, unadulterated evil."

"Yah huh!" Steve chirped.

Xander thought for a while, before smiling. "Hey, maybe I can get Tony to cut me some slack for doing this," he wondered.


	13. Wondering

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS or NCIS

A/N: Okay, looks like I've slowed to weekly updates (sorry.) I'm going to try to get them out quicker, but no promises. Thank you to everyone who has read, tracked, reviewed and recommended my story. You are all wonderful, upstanding people, unless you don't want to be. [insert preferred dessert/treat here]

* * *

Willow sat on the basement steps and watched her father. He hadn't worked on his boat so often since her arrival, choosing to spend his time upstairs with her. But he had been distracted since arriving home, and was now working on the boat almost automatically as his mind seemed to drift over whatever occupied it.

As if only just noticing her presence, he lifted his head and spoke. "Tell me about Sunnydale."

"Um. What do you want to know?"

"How bad is it? I've had someone I know in the FBI investigating, but they were totally stonewalled until someone finally warned them off today."

Willow chewed her lip thoughtfully. "Well... The police seem incompetent. Nothing is ever investigated properly, and people disappear all the time. People die every night from 'bbq fork accidents,' even in the middle of Winter, and yet not so much in Summer, and 'wild animal attacks,' even though there's hardly any wild animals around Sunnydale. Principal Flutie was eaten last year by wild dogs, even though his office was closed, and no animals were seen on campus. If you were to believe the police, we have a gang population to rival some of the worst places in the country, and they're all hooked on PCP, and wear strange masks while attacking people with bbq forks."

The girl looked at her father thoughtfully before continuing. "I've gotten into their computers," she admitted softly. "Their security is really laughable, and they actually have a form up for recording their homicides and assaults. It has check boxes, and everything, so you can just check 'bbq fork' as the cause of death, and 'gang on PCP' or 'wild animal' as the assailant. I've even gotten into the reports, and they're really simple. Insert-name-here died at such-and-such-a-time-and-place of bbq fork wound to the neck. End of report."

Gibbs turned back to his boat and ran a hand over the wood as he grit his teeth. "How can they get away with this?" he asked the room.

"I don't know. I think just about everyone in town is blind. It's like a whole wilful blindness thing," she shrugged. "Our school newspaper has an obituary column, and no one thinks anything about it. I was even a little surprised that we don't have anything like it here, but then I reminded myself I'm not in Sunnydale anymore. Like Kansas, only good," she added, with a small smile.

The smile faded as she gave her father a long, considering look. "I … I'm not sure ..." She sighed. "I really don't think this is something you should get involved with."

"Why not?"

"It's … it's something … beyond ..." she trailed off, frowning.

"It's something for Xander, Giles and Zabuto?"

Willow looked up at Gibbs, startled. "Er... Kind of. Not … not really. We don't really have anything to do with anything like that. And, um, they, I guess," she gulped.

"Xander knows what's going on, and is trying to keep you out of it?"

"Yeah. He's out of it, too. I mean, we have our study, but that's all," she said in an attempt to reassure her father.

"And this Angel? He's involved?"

"Um. Kind of," she squeaked. "He's usually a good guy, but sometimes he goes kind of psycho, and his, um, family is really bad. Really bad," she emphasised, wide-eyed.

"So Giles and Zabuto are working with a sometimes-psycho guy who's dating a girl ten years younger than himself, and whose family is at least as bad as he sometimes is?" Gibbs asked in as reasonable a voice as he could manage.

Willow had paled, and edged herself up a step. "Um. It sounds really bad when you say it like that," she whispered.

Gibbs looked over at his daughter when he heard that last comment. In a few quick steps, he had her in his arms, and kissed the top of her head. "Oh, princess," he murmured, "I'm not angry at you. I didn't mean to upset you. But I'm very angry at the situation. I need to figure things out, to fix them." He rubbed his cheek against her hair. "You were dragged into it, and that pisses me off. I could have lost you before I ever knew you," he whispered into her hair.

"I'm here, Gibbs. I'm here, and I'm safe," she told him as she hugged him back. "But you can't fix it," she warned softly. "You can't get involved in it. There are people who can, and Xander and I can help by working from here, but you're already doing too much. You're doing so much good here, Gibbs. We need you here."

"Xander knows what's going on," Gibbs stated flatly.

"I doubt he knows anything about the legal stuff, or corruption, or whatever. But other stuff, yeah. There's probably lots of stuff he doesn't tell me." She chuckled. "I don't 'need to know,'" she pouted. After a moment, she added, "I doubt he'll tell you much."

Gibbs stepped back and stroked the rich-red locks. He had to calm himself. He was sure that Willow knew things, but whatever she knew he was sure that Xander also knew. And she'd already admitted the boy knew more than she did, and, if he were honest with himself, he wasn't ready to interrogate his own daughter about things that might not have any legal implications. And she was now far away, with minimal involvement. Xander would do anything to keep her out of it, that he was sure of. The boy hadn't even let her tag along on his last, illicit, visit, even though she might have been able to help their friend during her persecution. But Xander was fair game for an interrogation.

He stepped forward and dropped a final kiss on her hair. "You keep out of this stuff, you hear, princess? I don't want you involved in anything dangerous."

Willow smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Dad," she agreed.

Gibbs reached out and brushed her cheek with his fingers. "'Dad'," he considered. "I like that."

The redhead gnawed her lip briefly, then smiled. "So do I. Dad."

* * *

It was several days before Gibbs got to speak with Xander. One look at the boy as he descended into the basement was enough to know that Willow had spoken to him, and he had decided the just get it over and done with.

Xander hopped up onto one of the benches lining the room. "So Will tells me the FBI have been warned off Sunnydale," he said, signalling the beginning the conversation/interrogation.

"A bit unusual, don't you think?" Gibbs asked, testing the waters.

The boy shrugged. "Maybe."

Gibbs glanced over to the brunet. "The warning came from the Mayor's office," he revealed.

Xander frowned in thought. "I've often wondered how high it went," he mused. "I'll have to tell Giles."

"Giles needs to know this?" Gibbs asked, eyebrows raised.

"Giles needs to know lots of stuff," Xander agreed. "This may have … implications."

Gibbs returned to his work. He allowed his mind to drift as he concentrated on the fine work he was doing, and noted, absently, that Xander was allowing him this time. Finally, he turned to face Xander. "What the hell is going on in Sunnydale?"

Xander tilted his head. "What do you know?"

"Deaths and disappearances are sky-high. Willow said one of your principals was killed by wild dogs, even though the door was locked, and no dogs were seen."

Xander paled at the last piece. "Yeah. Wild dogs." He shifted, and looked around. He hopped down off the bench and flexed his shoulders, as if working out a knot.

"What did you see?" Gibbs asked.

"Nothing, actually," Xander replied, as if surprised by the question.

"So...?"

"So. I know who did it," Xander replied, shrugging and turning away from the man. "They weren't exactly compos mentis at the time, though."

"'Mass hysteria?'"

Xander turned back to Gibbs. "Yeah. Let's call it that, then."

"How about we try the truth, Xander?"

The boy chuckled. "Sorry. Jack Nicholson flash there. Okay, the truth. There was an … incident on a school field trip, which affected a group of students, including me. It … caused a temporary change in, um, perceptions? Caused a loss of inhibitions? Morals? Something. I attacked Buffy. Tried to rape her, if you must know. While I was doing that, the others killed Principal Flutie."

Gibbs had sucked in a sudden breath at Xander's confession of attempted rape. "She seems pretty forgiving," he commented through gritted teeth.

"She thinks I don't remember. Buffy and Will both do. I told them I couldn't remember anything about it. Also, I really wasn't with it. I can remember being there, remember watching it happen, but I couldn't do anything about it. I remember … bloodlust. The need to dominate. The need to have. I was very 'alpha'. Alpha of the group, in fact."

"How do a group of school students kill someone in such a way it looks like a pack of dogs?"

"Teeth. They ate him."

Gibbs stilled, staring at the boy. Then he turned and poured himself a stiff drink. "So if you hadn't been trying to rape Buffy, you would have been eating Flutie?"

Xander frowned and considered the question. "From what I understand, he took them to his office for an official telling off, and they took advantage of the situation. A crime of opportunity, if you will. While me trying to rape Buffy was planned. So, no. I don't think I would have been there. I was never part of their group socially. Not until … the incident. And not afterwards, either. But if I'd been there, I would have been in charge, and would have taken my share first. Being alpha, and all that."

Gibbs finished his drink, then decided on another topic for the conversation. "Why do you sometimes act more like a Marine than a teenager?"

Xander glanced at the older man, small twisted smile flitting across his face. "Never been a Marine, Gibbs," he said.

"I should hope to hell not," Gibbs snorted. "You're seventeen. _Maybe_ if your father was one, and was obsessed with you joining up, then, _maybe_, you might act like that. But we all know Harris was a drunken slob. The only thing he ever did was smack you around until you got too big for it."

Xander simply shrugged.

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "It wasn't Giles. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have anything like that kind of training. Sam Zabuto is only fairly new on the scene."

Xander rolled his eyes. "I have met more than two adults males, you know," he smirked. Then he shrugged. "There was this scary soldier guy in the neighbourhood," Xander explained. Well, his brain was in the neighbourhood, wasn't it? "I kind of picked up some stuff. No big."

"Uh huh. Some nameless vet managed to train you up in … how long was it?"

Xander opened his mouth for a glib, throwaway comment, but closed it. "Not long. It was … intense. I learned a lot, but I have to keep going over it, or I'll lose it." He glanced at Gibbs. "Being around you has helped reinforce a lot of things," he added.

"Marine?"

"Ranger."

Gibbs snorted. "Can't be helped. Doesn't mean you have to make the same mistakes."

Xander gave a burst of laughter. "Yeah. Don't think he would agree. He had a few things to say about Marines. Most not complimentary," he added with a smirk.

"You're not joining the army," Gibbs growled.

Xander's only response to that was raised eyebrows.

Gibbs sighed and rubbed his head. "I can't help it," he confessed. "You're like the son I never had. You don't want me to be like this, you're going to have to tell me straight out."

Xander stared at him for a long moment. "Just so long as you remember I'm not a kid. Haven't been for a while, Gibbs."

"You should be."

"Should be." Xander shrugged. "Not."

Gibbs thought for a while longer, then smirked. "No fooling around with your sister."

Xander jerked back. "Gods, no!"

Gibbs laughed, and tossed Xander a piece of sanding paper. Xander looked at it as he twisted it in his fingers, then looked at Gibbs. With a smile, he joined the older man at the upturned framework, and watched as Gibbs began to instruct him in the fine art of sanding wood.

* * *

Steve watched Xander as he walked away from the lunch table. Once he was satisfied with the brunet's progress, he turned to the girl beside him. "So... Willow," he began.

"So... Steve," she replied.

"You leave anyone behind back in Sunnydale?"

"Lots of people. Well, when I say lots, I really mean a few. Um... Maybe three or four friends?" she suggested. "Well, those were the ones I really hung with. There were others. You know, science club, computer geeks like me. That sort of thing. Why?"

Steve cleared his throat and shifted slightly. "Er, I meant like a boyfriend. Did you leave a boyfriend behind in Sunnydale. You know, that you're still talking to, and … stuff?"

Willow turned and stared at the lanky blonde beside her. "Boyfriend?" she squeaked. "Why would I have a boyfriend? Not that I couldn't have I boyfriend. I could so totally have a boyfriend. Yes siree, definitely boyfriendable material here, no doubt about that. Because who wouldn't want me? I'm cute, I'm nice, I could so be someone's girlfriend. Just because certain people don't know how to use the eyes in the front of their heads, doesn't mean that I couldn't be a girlfriend. Not at all," she finished, blushing.

Steve stared at her, unsure of what to make of Willow's little speech. He opened his mouth to say something, but Xander chose that moment to arrive back at the table. He took one look at the pair of them, then turned to the boy sitting beside him. "Connor, what the hell?"

Two pairs of eyes, one green, one brown, turned on the smirking boy beside Xander. "Steve here is trying to find out if Willow left a boyfriend behind in Sunnydale. When she finally figured out what he was asking, she, um... Yeah. No idea, but it was pretty amazing."

"Willow-babble. Once witnessed, never forgotten," Xander explained absently, turning hard eyes on his friend. "So. Steve. Asking my Willow about boyfriends, are we?"

"Hey, mister. Not your Willow!" the redhead objected. "I waited for years for you to figure things out, and you never did. That makes me not your Willow."

"Yeesh, Will," Xander winced. "Not that. I love you, Will, but never that."

Willow frowned fiercely at her childhood friend, then turned to Steve. "Well, obviously I'm not seeing anyone, or even waiting for anyone, so, um, well, I might be, you know..." she trailed off, blushing.

Steve cleared his throat. "Um, well, that's good. Um, I mean, for, you know." He took a deep breath. "Would you like to go to the mall this weekend? Maybe a movie?"

Willow beamed at him. "I'd have to talk to Gibbs, but I'd like to. Not, ah, anything, um, you know."

"Yeah," Steve nodded. "Nothing too... Just a movie. Or just, like, hanging." Good. First step taken. Now to survive Xander.

"Just so you know, Steve, I know where you live, and it would take only one phone call to tell Gibbs," Xander revealed in a nice, conversational tone.

"Xander," Willow protested.

"Hey," he returned. "I haven't even started on the shovel speech yet."

Connor looked from the boy to the girl. "Ah... 'Shovel speech?'"

Willow rolled her eyes. "Hurt him/her and I'll beat you to death with a shovel."

"Why a shovel?" Steve asked, puzzled.

Xander smirked. "It's a multi-purpose item. Kill you, then bury the body."

Willow nodded emphatically. "A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend."

"Can you really call that a speech?" Connor asked. "It's very short."

Xander and Willow exchanged glances. "It's spoken," Xander offered.

"It's informative," Willow added.

"How is that not a speech?" Xander enquired.

Connor looked to Steve. "They're Californian," he decided, and the other boy nodded in acceptance.

* * *

Gibbs walked into the kitchen and dropped a kiss on his daughter's head.

"Hey, um, Dad," Willow greeted, smiling shyly.

"Hey, Baby," he grinned in return. "What's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti."

"Smells good," Gibbs nodded. "So what's this about a guy after you?"

Willow sighed. "I'm going to get that boy. Somehow I'm going to figure out a way of getting him."

"Still waiting, Willow," Gibbs murmured.

"Xander's friend from school – the one that got him into the track team? He's a really nice guy, very respectful, and very afraid of Xander and you, so I'm totally safe with him, okay?"

"Do I need to talk to him?"

"No," Willow decided. "Xander's already told him you're a Marine sniper," she explained, rolling her eyes, "and we explained the 'shovel speech' so he's suitably terrified. So can I go to a movie with him this weekend?"

"So long as he comes here and pick you up properly."

"Gibbs," Willow growled, "he's already been warned, more than thoroughly. He doesn't need you doing your death stare."

"No, Willow. You're my daughter, and I am honour-bound, as a man and a Marine, to growl at any and all males sniffing after my little girl."

"Fine," she muttered. "Not like I'm ever going to have a life, after all. What with Xander growling at all the guys at school, and you growling at everyone else, I might as well start dating girls."

"I thought you would understand by now," Gibbs teased. "You're not allowed to have a life. Not until you're in your fifties, at least."

Willow stared at him. "Dad!" she whined.

Chuckling, Gibbs walked off. It was amazing to have a family again.


	14. Death and New Life

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS, NCIS, or Highlander

A/N: Just so you know, any characters introduced in this chapter may or may not be seen again for a while. I just wanted them introduced so you know they're coming, but not in any cannon-style fashion.

* * *

Willow's smile into the webcam faltered as she scanned the screen. "What's the problem?" she asked nervously. "Where's Buffy?"

Giles cleared his throat. "I'm afraid she's managed to come down with a, a rather nasty bout of the 'flu," he explained heavily.

Xander shifted in his seat, frowning. "Is this a natural thing? Or do we need to hit the books?"

"No, no," the Watcher hastened to reassure them, "it's entirely natural. Odd, of course, that a Slayer would succumb to such an infection, but Ms Calendar assures me that there is nothing, um, unnatural about it."

"But it's bad?" Xander pursued.

"Quite," Giles agreed. "She collapsed during a patrol, and is in hospital as we speak."

Xander stiffened, and Willow covered her mouth, horrified. "But she's going to be okay, isn't she, Giles," Willow asked.

"Yes. She should be fine in a few days. Or so. She... She's spoken of some kind of being hanging around the hospital, possibly attacking the children. Um. Young Mr Osbourne," he added, waving a hand at the musician, "has sent you an e-mail, Willow, with all the details that we have so far, including a description. We were wondering if the two of you could check the books that I have sent you for something that might correlate to what Buffy's seeing? We, we originally thought it was one of the doctors in the hospital, but it has also, apparently, killed the doctor, so we believe it's something other than human."

"Not a prob, G-man," Xander agreed. Willow echoed her agreement as she opened her e-mail program on her second monitor, and quickly began to read the e-mail.

Giles opened his mouth to protest, but closed it again, and sighed. "We need to get this done quickly. The hospital will want to release Buffy in the next day or so, and children are dying nightly."

"Do you want me to hack the hospital's system, or do you want Oz to do it?" Willow asked.

"You can have a look, as well, if you wish, but Oz has already been working on it," Giles replied.

"Four hands are better than two," Oz added.

Willow nodded, opened another window on the screen, and began work. The printer beside her whirred into life, and Willow took a moment to pluck the printout from the top of the machine and hand it to Xander to look at.

"Lovely," was his muttered response. "I've got a few books that I picked up on my own," he offered as he considered the image. "This kind of reminds me of one of them. Oh, and hey! Thanks for the book allowance. I really appreciate it. Tony's been great, but my normal allowance doesn't exactly cover that sort of expense."

"You're welcome, of course, Xander. DC seems to have quite a selection of texts available."

"You're telling me! Ye Olde Magick Shoppe is actually a really useful place, once you get past the junk in the front of the shop. Ms Trelawney's a sweetheart, and has started putting stuff aside for me to look at."

"Yes. I had noticed most of your receipts were from there."

"Hey, guys, hate to interrupt," Willow began. "What was the name of the doctor that was killed?"

Giles shuffled some papers before taking some offered by Kendra. "Er, Dr Backer. Why?"

"There's some files here by Dr Backer. They were in the paediatric section, so I thought they might be useful." She frowned as she read something in the files. "Okay. It looks like he was... He was experimenting with viruses? Did you get into that, Oz?"

"Looking elsewhere," was his only comment.

Willow nodded absently. "Okay. He was … dosing the children with more of the virus they were already infected with."

"Not a doctor or anything, but that sounds bad," Xander offered.

"You'd think," Willow agreed. "But no. The children were actually getting better. He'd dose them, they'd spike a fever, then start to get better."

"Burning out the virus," Sam Zabuto offered, surprised. "That's an old idea, but it was working?"

"Looks like," Willow agreed. "The children were getting better, then..." she sighed. "Then dying for no good reason."

Unable to sit still, Xander stood and walked to the large bookcase near the computer and began to look at their collection.

"What are you going to do when we figure this out?" Willow asked.

"Well it seems that adults can't see this thing, but Buffy was able to while she was running a suitably high temperature. It may be that once we have our information, or near enough to it, that we will send Kendra in to work with Buffy. Hopefully Buffy will be able to see the demon, while Kendra will deal with it."

"Ah hah!" Xander returned to his seat, grinning. He displayed the cover of a book. "This look familiar?"

Giles looked at the display to see something remarkably similar to the drawing that the boy had given Buffy. "Very good. What is it?"

Xander checked the book. "Der Kindestod. Mean 'child death' because demons a full of the witty," he grimaced. "Merciful Zeus," he muttered, "that's just gross!"

"And for those of use not in the room with you, Xander," Giles prompted.

"What? Oh, yeah. Okay, it can only be seen by children, the insane, or the feverish, which is why Buffy could see it. Because she was feverish. And if anyone implies I meant anything different, I'll... I'll do something," he added, frowning at the screen. "Okay. Oh, yeah. The yuck part. Its eyes pop out of its head and it uses them to suck the life out of children." He turned to Willow. "And now I really want to make a massively inappropriate comment. Do something, will you?"

Without looking, Willow lifted a hand from her keyboard, and smacked the back of his head.

Xander nodded. "Like father, like daughter. Thanks."

"Your welcome," she smiled.

Xander turned back to the screen. "Okay, so is there anything else we can do?"

"No, Xander, I don't think there is. Kendra will stay in the hospital with Buffy tonight, as this thing seems to only be active at night. We'll let you know how that goes. And if you could possibly find another copy of that book, it would be wonderful. I really don't think I have it in my collection."

"I'll check around," Xander agreed.

"I'll send what I've found in the hospital files. I had a good look around – it's been ages since I've gotten into this database, I forgot what was in here – and Oz can have a look at what I've found. There might be something useful, including a new backdoor into the morgue's files."

"Cool," Oz murmured, smiling slightly.

Willow smiled brightly as she turned back to the webcam. "So is there any news?"

* * *

The woman knocked briskly on the apartment door, then quickly smoothed her skirt and jacket. Waiting for the door to be answered, she glanced up and down the rather dirty hallway. Finally, the door was opened by a young teenage girl.

"Yeah?" the girl demanded.

The woman looked at the girl in front of her. She kept most of herself hidden behind the door, but she could see a bruise darkening the girl's cheek, and a still-bleeding split in her lip. She had heard something of an argument through the door, but hadn't thought anything like this might have been occuring.

"Faith Lehane?" she asked.

"What of it?"

"I am Professor Dormer," the woman smiled gently. "May I come in?"

"Where you from?"

"I'm not from any government department, if that's your concern," the professor assured her. "I just wanted to talk to you about an opportunity that's come up."

A flash of fear washed over the girl's face as a large hand wrapped around the door and yanked it open, careless of the girl behind it. "Who the fuck are you, lady, and what are you doing here?"

Professor Dormer raised an icy eyebrow at the man. "And you are?" she asked.

"None of your damn business. Now fuck off."

"I have business with Faith Lehane. If you are her father, then you may stay for our discussion. Otherwise, I require you to leave the room."

"You fucking bitch. Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?"

"The person holding the Browning, that's who I'd be."

The girl looked on as the rich professor lady calmly held her gun aimed at Billy. Billy, the pervert who was using her Mom, and trying to get into her pants, too. Billy who had just been knocking her around because she wouldn't spread for him. In a quick movement, she slipped out into the hall, and around behind the woman.

Without looking behind her to check on the child, Professor Dormer nodded to the man. "You may close the door, now," she instructed.

The man tossed off a few wildly inaccurate, if personal statements,, and slammed the door shut. Diana relaxed, and returned her pistol to the holster attached to the back of her skirt. "Well," she began cheerily, "now that that's done, how about we start again. Good afternoon, my name is Professor Dormer. Would you be Faith Lehane?"

* * *

Xander looked up as Tony let himself into the apartment, dropped his keys on the counter, and went straight to the fridge for a beer.

"Bad day?" Xander asked.

"You could say," Tony grunted.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Not especially. But you should probably know, anyway." Tipping the beer up, Tony did his best to drain it in one go, then put it down on the kitchen counter. Staring at the counter, he said, "Had a terrorist in the office today."

"What the ..." Xander began, standing suddenly from the couch.

"I'm fine. Gibbs is fine. Even Kate is fine. Gerald isn't, though." Tony took another swig, and finished the beer. He put it in the trash as he grabbed another from the fridge. He returned to the counter, missing Xander's concerned look, and continued. "He got into NCIS in a body bag, came out in Autopsy with Ducky and Gerald there. He took out the security cameras, but we got through on the phone. We had to get something down to them, and Kate got stuck there as a result. He shot Gerald in the shoulder, and it's going to be months before he's back at work. Gibbs shot him, but he got away. Gibbs, naturally, is pissed."

Xander folded his arms defensively across his body. "Is there anything we need to do?"

Tony paused in thought for a moment before taking another swig. "No. We'll search for him, of course, but there's nothing more to do tonight."

Xander chewed his lip thoughtfully for a few moments, then nodded, and went back to his homework. Tony grabbed his plate from the fridge and reheated his dinner before taking it to the table to eat.

* * *

Willow looked up from her laptop when she heard her father walk in. One look was enough, and she went to him and wrapped her arms around him. After a moment, he relaxed, and wrapped his arms around her as well. Dropping a kiss on her head, he let her go.

"How bad was it, Dad?"

"Bad guy got into Autopsy. Shot Gerald. He's going to have to have surgery, and then months of therapy. Don't know when – if – he'll be back."

"Oh, Dad," she mourned.

"Kate was in there with them," he added. "She's fine, though." He glanced at the door to the basement. "I'm going to ..."

Willow laid a hand on his arm. "You do what you need, Dad. Dinner's ready when you want it."

"Thanks, Princess," he smiled softly, before walking off.

* * *

Jack hung up his phone, having just finished speaking to his wife. More family things to deal with, this one being a reunion of some sort. He had been passed a list of names to call, since it was his side of the family, but there only a few that he really wanted to deal with. One name, in particular, tugged at him. He hadn't spoken to her in decades, really, and wasn't sure if the number he had was still valid. Well, that was what aides were for. Calling one, he gave his instructions, and turned back to his work.

When the aide returned, some hours later, with a phone list, the man set his work aside to peruse the list. Glancing down, he found the name he was after and picked up the phone.

After several rings, the phone was answered. "H-hello?" came the girl's tentative voice.

"Good morning," he began. "I hope I've got the right number. My name is Jack Ryan, and I'm looking for my cousin, Bridie Dillon. Would she be available?"

"Oh," the soft voice replied. "I-I'm s-sorry. Um. I-I'm her d-daughter, T-tara. I-I'm s-sorry, but sh-she's n-not w-well at th-the m-moment. She, she's d-d-dying, I th-think."

Jack sat there, stunned. "I see," he said, absently. "Is... Is there anything I can do? Bridie was one of my favourite cousins, growing up, and I would like to offer, I don't know, something."

"I-I don't kn-know. D-d-dad says i-it's because sh-she's a w-w-witch. H-he s-says -"

Jack didn't get to hear what Tara's father reportedly said, but he did hear what the man actually said. As he listened, he heard a man's bellowed demand to know what was going on, who she was speaking to. He heard, almost felt, a slap, and an inarticulate cry in the girl's soft voice. Unfortunately (fortunately?) he didn't hear much more, as the phone was slammed down, disconnecting the call.

He sat at his desk for a long moment, waiting for the trembling to cease, for his fury to abate sufficiently. When he was calmer, he called he aide in. Handing over the sheet, with one name clearly marked, and another written beside it, he said, "Find an address, and arrange my flights, rooms, cars, everything. You will be coming with me. I want to be there as soon as possible, and I will be bringing home an invalid and a young woman. Please arrange a consultation at Georgetown for as soon as possible after we return, same day, if possible."

With a nod, the aide took the paper and left. Jack picked up the phone and dialled again. "Something's come up, Cathy. I need to go out of town."

* * *

A/N: Thanks to Wispr for a very interesting way to introduce Tara.


	15. Finding New Paths

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS, NCIS, Highlander, or Jack Ryan/Tom Clancy.

A/N: Just to save any confusion, I have changed the identity of Tara's relative. I won't be changing the classification since Highlander and Tom Clancy only occasionally touch the story at this time.

* * *

Gibbs rounded the corner of the house to come out into the large backyard. He glanced around to see his daughter working on her laptop at a table near the house, and then looked to the large grassed area where Xander was sparring with his swordsmanship instructor. No one called it fencing – it was nothing like any competitive stuff he'd seen. Both Xander and Adam held a sword in one hand, and a dagger in the other, and Gibbs suddenly realised something he should have thought of long ago. For all that the blades were blunted, they had relatively pointy ends that could do a lot of damage when used incorrectly. Well, correctly, really, he guessed.

It had been a couple of months since the instructor had turned up at Tony's door, but Xander was looking good. Nowhere near his instructor's level, of course – that would take years of work. But not bad for a beginner. As he watched them, he noticed Xander leaving his side open too much, and watched as Adam punished him for it. Gibbs winced, and though about bandages for those ribs. But Xander pushed on pretty well straight away. Maybe that was something that Adam had drilled into him. After all, no one said anything about training for the rule-laden atmosphere of competition.

He watched the sparring continue for some minutes, until Adam finally called a stop. Xander collapsed, somewhat theatrically, to the ground, and exclaimed, "Oh, thank all merciful gods and goddesses!"

Adam smacked the boy's thigh with the flat of his sword. "Oh, stop your moaning, Harris, you wimp."

Xander looked up balefully at the man. "Ribs, Pierson. Ribs."

"So get your strapping out and Gibbs will do them for you," Adam scoffed.

Xander looked around until he could see the older man. "Oh, hey, Gibbs. Um. You didn't happen to see..."

"What? See you get whacked for leaving your side open like that? Hell, yeah. Probie mistake if ever I saw one."

Xander sighed. "See? Everyone's against me," he muttered.

"I'm not against you," Willow offered, smiling.

Xander grinned, and sprang to his feet. "My Willow-girl," he cried as he ran to her, arms opened wide.

Willow squeaked and ran to her father. "Ew, no! Sweaty Xander," she protested.

Xander reached the pair and tried to reach around a laughing Gibbs to wrap Willow in a sweaty hug, but she dodged away from him. Each time he reached, she dodged the other way, then dodged back when he tried the other side. Eventually, Gibbs cuffed him lightly. "Stand down, Junior," he instructed.

Xander pouted, and tried out the 'puppy eyes of doom,' as Abby had nicknamed them. Unfortunately for Xander, all he got was rolled eyes, and a bag tossed to him by Adam.

"Shower, Xander. Before we pass out from the fumes," the swordsman ordered, smirking.

Xander headed into the house, grumbling under his breath, but smiling.

Willow returned to the table and began to pack up her gear. Gibbs turned to Adam. "So how's it going?" he asked the other man.

"Good," Adam replied. "Xander has a lot of enthusiasm and energy, and a huge desire to do this. That all helps," he nodded. "I've had worse students, that's for sure.

"There's always better, there's always worse," Gibbs agreed.

"You're like a dad to him, aren't you?" the dark-haired man wanted to know.

"Yep. His step-dad was a bastard, and his real dad's apparently not much better, if any. Rupert Giles, back in Sunnydale, tried to help out, and now there's me. Giles told me I'd end up being his dad, and he was right. Smart man," Gibbs mused.

"He knows a few things," Adam agreed.

"What about you?" Gibbs asked. "You know a few things?"

"I know lots of things," Adam announced. "Done college and all. What do you want to know?"

"Sunnydale," Gibbs prompted, thinking about his latent obsession.

Adam looked at him thoughtfully. "That place is bad news. DC's a better place for those kids."

"Anything you care to tell me?"

"Beyond that? No."

Gibbs grunted. "Seems like everyone wants to treat me like a damn mushroom about that place."

"Sorry, Gibbs. You just can't know everything about everything."

"And pushing would be a bad thing?"

Adam looked away, considering. "For now," he decided.

* * *

The nervous blonde started when she heard the knock at the door. She cracked the door open to see a well-dressed, dark-haired man standing outside. "Um. H-hello," she whispered.

The man smiled, and the sight instantly warmed her. "Hi, Tara, is it?" When she nodded, he went on. "I'm Jack Ryan, your cousin, I think. Can I come in?"

"S-sure," she smiled as she opened the door. She watched as he walked in, back straight, head high, but nothing about him seeming arrogant or controlling. "Um. M-mom is sick, and c-can't get up a-at the m-moment. C-can I get y-you s-something?"

"Coffee, if it's not too much trouble," he smiled. He followed her into the kitchen, and Tara could feel his appraising gaze on her back. "How are you, Tara?" he asked.

"Oh, um, f-fine."

"I heard your dad come in," he said gently. "It didn't sound good. So how are you? Really?"

Tara bit her lip, and chewed her lip, but couldn't speak, only shake her head.

Jack sighed. "Okay. How's your mom? What did the doctor say?"

Tara shook her head. "Sh-she hasn't been to the d-doctor. D-dad said it was h-her p-punishment. Because of the w-way we a-are," she whispered.

Jack frowned. Things were sounding worse than he'd expected. "Can I see your mother," he asked gently.

The girl nodded, and led the way further into the house. She stopped at a door, and turned back to him with a slight smile. Understanding her hesitation, Jack settled back against a wall to wait, and watched her slip into the room. After a few moments, she opened the door with another slight smile, and he walked into the room.

Jack gasped softly when he saw his cousin. Pale and sunken, she lay listless in her bed. "Bridie?" he whispered.

"Hey, Jack," she murmured. "It's been a long time. You're looking good."

"Well, I could lie to you, but I don't think that would do anyone any good. What does your doctor have to say?"

He noticed the girl flinch, and chew her lip, while her mother played with her coverlet. "I haven't seen a doctor," she confessed.

Jack sat gingerly on the bed, and covered her hand. "What about the elder women? You still follow the old ways, don't you? I know that side of the family always did, and Tara said something about it."

Bridie shook her head tiredly. "No. No elder women. Ben won't allow it."

"Then why haven't you seen a doctor? Tara said something about this being your punishment. Has he at least let you see a doctor?"

Again Bridie shook her head.

Tara watched as her cousin's face hardened. He turned to her, patently furious. "Tara, could you quickly pack a couple of bags? Just enough clothes for a few days, and whatever else you need to take. I'll get my assistant to come in and help you, okay?"

Tara looked at her mother, surprised. "Mama?"

Bridie looked at her cousin, then gave a slight, twisted smile. "Do as he says, dear." Once her daughter had left the room, she turned to her cousin. "So that's it?"

"That's it. We have a flight to catch, and you have an appointment at Georgetown tomorrow morning, though I'm not sure we'll make it. I might call Cathy when we get back, and see if she can arrange something for tonight, at John Hopkins."

"You're doing well," she murmured, surprised.

He grinned. "Cathy's one of the best eye doctors in the world," he boasted. She'll get you in. I only chose Georgetown because it was where I went," he admitted.

Bridie laid her hand over Jack's. "Thank you. I'm not sure if there's time left for me. I feel so weak all the time. But Tara can't stay here. I raised her in the old ways, and she has so very much to offer the world. But if she stays here, she will wither away."

"There's time for you," her cousin promised. "We'll have Masses said, and Tara can talk to the elder women. You'll be at one of the best hospitals in the world. We'll do everything. Don't worry about a thing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll get my assistant, and we'll get you two packed up and out of here."

It took a couple of hours, but then Bridie and her daughter were on their way, away from the prison their home had become. Away to a new life.

* * *

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to DC's latest and greatest oogly-boogly talk show," Xander intoned cheerfully. "And tonight we welcome back the lovely Buffster to the show!"

"Hello Buffy," Willow called out, waving at the monitor. "Feeling better this week?"

"Yeah, much better, thank you. And thanks for your help with that thing last week."

"No problem, Buffarino," Xander dismissed, grinning. "So what's the big bad for the week?"

Giles leaned forward. "Actually, there is nothing coming up at the moment. We did have a rather, er, interesting phenomenon," Buffy snorted at that, "this week relating to the Sadie Hawkins Dance back in 1955. It appears that a student was involved with a teacher, and she attempted to break it off, but he accidentally shot her, killing her. Ms Frank was killed a few nights ago when she was possessed by the spirit of the teacher, while George was possessed by the spirit of the student, and killed Ms Frank with a gun that disappeared after I tackled him to the ground, breaking the spirit's hold over him."

"Um," Xander began hesitantly, "can I just ask which way around the teacher and student were? 'Cause I'm a little fuzzy here."

"Oh, right. It was a female teacher and a male student. Well, we attempted to exorcise the spirits by performing a ritual: Mr Zabuto, Ms Calendar and myself formed the points of a triangle, while Kendra was at the focus point, with Buffy assisting her up in case of any emergency, since the focus point was the point most likely to be attacked." Giles sighed, and cleaned his glasses for a moment. "It was an abysmal failure, and we were ejected from the school. The, the problem was solved with Angel was lured back to the school by one of the spirits, as was Drusilla."

Xander and Willow hissed their surprise, while the other listeners openly displayed their discomfort. "It, it appears that James, the young man who accidentally shot his teacher, Ms Newman, has been seeking forgiveness ever since, but every time they replay the scene, the host for Ms Newman dies. This time, however, D-drusilla was not, of course, killed by the gun, and they were able to complete the scene, and the spirits were able to move on. Leaving, of course, a very upset couple of vampires."

"So what happened to Drusilla," Willow asked cautiously.

"She escaped pretty well straight away," Giles admitted.

"So Spike and Dru are still out there," Xander asked.

"Yep," Buffy nodded. "Bleach-boy and Crazy-girl are still haunting the 'Dale. Such fun!" she added sarcastically. "Tell me something interesting from your end," she demanded, pouting.

A shadow seemed to cross Xander's face, and he turned to Willow. Her eyes widened, and she gasped, "Oh, that thing."

"Hey, um Giles," he began nervously. "That last birthday present I got Buffy," he prompted. "It's still good?"

Giles frowned and blinked a few times, until Oz leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Oh, ah, yes. That thing. Yes, it's fine, thank you. Is there a problem?"

"Um, well, it's just that there was this thing. One of Will's dad's ex-co-workers kind of died from that exact same kind of thing, and so they were looking into people that, um, acquire them. In, um, bulk," Xander explained. It shouldn't have anything to do with you – there's a lot of differences between what happened here and there, but, well, just make sure its, um, not in a highly visible location, okay?"

"Certainly, Xander. And thanks for letting us know. It's, er, well placed. Sam has, er, worked wonders with the decorations," he added, smiling, "and so any, ah, blemishes are quite unobtrusive."

"Oh," Xander murmured, impressed. "Hey, that's great, Mr Zabuto."

"Thank you, Xander. I do my humble best," Sam inclined his head graciously.

Xander and Willow grinned. "I bet you do," the girl agreed.

* * *

The brunette sighed as she sat over her books. "I don't get it, Prof," she moaned. "Why do I have to do all this stuff?"

"Do you remember what I told you about sabbatical years?"

"Massive holiday 'cause you worked there so long?"

Diana smiled at her charge. "Something like that. Essentially, it is a year where you can further your studies without the challenges of teaching others. I will be finishing my year soon, and will start again at college with the Autumn class. Fall, that is," she added for her non-English companion. "As such, I can't continue schooling you at home, and will be placing you at a small school. I have already enrolled you to start the new year. You will start the year as a senior, which is a year ahead of where you would be otherwise, but I believe you will be able to handle it. You have been doing well with your studies so far. Very well, considering how much the system had failed you previously."

Faith shrugged self-consciously. "Why are you doing this, Prof?"

Diana sighed. "When I told you that you were one of mere thousands in the world with the potential for a certain calling, I meant that. The thing is that only one girl is called at a time, and generally they have been called by your age. By the time you reach adulthood, you will have aged out of your … potential, shall we say? As such, you will need something beyond the hope of your calling. I believe in giving girls a chance at a life, so I want you to seriously consider going to college. I believe, given your studies at this time, you could do at least an undergraduate program in Arts, maybe in Classical Languages. Now, I can't just say, 'There you go, you have a position in the program,' but, as a tenured professor, I can give a strong recommendation to the Head of the school. We could work a suitable program for your skills, abilities, and preferences. How does that sound?"

"Me?" Faith asked doubtfully. "At college?"

"As I've said, you're doing very well. With proper tutoring, I believe you could succeed at college."

"So... Next year?"

"Next year you'll be going to Westridge Day School. It's a small, college-focused school."

"Uh, would that be like a public school?"

"No, dear," Diana smiled. "It's a private school. It's not far from here, in fact. You've probably seen the students walking past the house, on their way to school."

Faith scratched at the table as she shifted in her chair. "Is that the school where the girls wear those blue skirts?"

Diana struggled to keep a straight face. "Yes, dear. The uniform is a white blouse and a blue skirt."

"There's no boys at that school, is there?"

Diana knew her control was slipping as she said, "No, Faith. It's a girls' school."

Faith pushed aside her book and commenced beating her head against the tabletop to the sound of her guardian's snickering.

* * *

A/N: Yes, Faith's going to school. Faith's going to private school. Faith is going to a private girls' school. Faith has to wear a skirt. Yes, I am evil.


	16. Summer Daze

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS, NCIS, Highlander, or the Tom Clancy's Ryanverse.

A/N: Just to make things clear, Willow and Xander's move to DC has affected the Buffyverse to the extent that Angel didn't lose his soul, Ms Calendar was not killed, Acathla was not summoned, and Buffy didn't send Angel to Hell, and run off to LA. In all, removing Willow and Xander from Sunnydale, and moving Kendra in, has actually made for a very quiet end of year. So it was all their fault ;)

* * *

"'No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers filthy looks'," Willow and Xander chanted in unison as they entered her house, and dumped their bags by the door.

"You don't think that's too juvenile, do you," Willow asked, small frown marring her forehead.

Xander looked at her. "You are honestly asking me a question that would force me to use language your father would slap me for using in front of you?" he demanded, pouting.

Willow rolled her eyes. "Fine, be like that," she grinned. Suddenly she started bouncing about the room. Rather like a squirrel on caffeine, Xander thought. "She's coming, she's coming, she's coming," Willow chanted, excited.

"Really?" Xander asked, pretending puzzlement. "Who would that be?"

Willow pegged a cushion at him. "Buffy, of course. Two whole weeks with Buffy, in DC. And her dad's given her a credit card, so we can go spending. Or she can go spending, and I can just go," she amended conscientiously.

"Admit it, Will, you're regretting asking her here," Xander prodded, patting her shoulder.

"What? No! I want Buffy here, I really do," Willow argued earnestly. "I... Oh, you meanie," she scowled once she caught sight of his mostly hidden smirk. "You were teasing me, weren't you?"

"Who, me?" Xander asked, opening his eyes wide to fake innocence.

"Just for that, I'll tell Buffy just how much you've been studying, and how well you're going at school."

"You... That's... Oh, you are a wicked woman," he condemned. "Congratulations," he beamed. "You're coming along quite nicely."

* * *

The three of them had had a good time in the two weeks that Buffy had been in DC. There had been shopping, and movies, and just plain, old hanging, something they had missed since leaving Sunnydale. What's more, nothing seemed to have followed Buffy from the Hellmouth. It seemed the Summer lull had either followed her, or was pretty much universal. Either way, they were sternly refusing to look gift horses in mouths.

They had even found a local replacement for The Bronze, somewhere to hang out, listen to bands, eat, drink and dance. Xander had even brought homework, because, after the first couple of times, the girl talk got a bit too much. He really didn't need to hear Willow and Buffy discussing the merits of one of his best friends. At least with Wheelock's he could bury his head in Latin and tune out giggles about 'smoochies'. Buffy, of course, glanced sideways, with mutters of apocalypses, then went back to the girltalk.

Steve had come along a couple of times, but they couldn't talk freely in front of them, and conversations had this amazing tendency to drift, both in subject matter (please don't scare the natives with stories of the Hellmouth) and language. (Hey! They do, too, speak English!) Still, it had been good to have a little testosterone to even things out.

They had also spent time with Gibbs, Tony, and the rest of the team. Tony had started hosting barbeques once he had a house to host one at. A problem with the power and heat in his building not long after Xander had arrived had … encouraged … Tony to move out of the building, and buy a house, and Xander teased that Tony was becoming domesticated. Tony retaliated by dating, which was incredibly embarrassing the first time Xander stumbled into the kitchen to find a random female, not much older than himself, in the kitchen, wearing his brother's t-shirt. There may have been some pranking as a result.

Barbeques with Buffy, however, where light affairs, full of laughter and nonsense. The Hellmouth and its duties were far away, guarded by another Slayer. After this holiday, Buffy would return so that Kendra could have her first holiday ever. She thought Sam was taking Ken to Disney Land, but that could have been a pizza dream. Xander just hoped that Ken wouldn't decide to slay Goofy. That would be of the bad.

Watching the team deal with them in party mode was fun. The three teens felt light and free, and their conversation tumbled along with a comfortably regular usage of what Giles referred to as Dale-isms. For some reason, he suggested their dialect was something like verbal Dadaism, which only Willow got straight away. Giles discovered his error, however, when Xander got an explanation out of his friend, and began working on making even more convoluted phrases for the Watcher's delectation.

* * *

Xander proudly led his best girls out of the lift and towards the bullpen. They had come into town to go to a movie and maybe have dinner, and had decided to pop in to see Tony and Gibbs on the way. When he got to the bullpen, though, he noticed the tension in the area. He quickly looked around, and noticed that Kate was missing. Xander then glanced to the side to see that Buffy had also picked up on the tension, and had placed herself the other side of Willow, but a step behind, and was looking further around the room.

Xander turned back and focussed on Gibbs. Soldier memories stiffening his spine, he asked, in a reasonable facsimile of calm, "Where's Kate?"

He watched as Gibbs' eyes slid over him to Buffy, and then back again. "She's not here at the moment. You need something?"

Xander took a step forward. "Gibbs," he said, trying not to growl.

Gibbs glanced over to Buffy, then looked back at Xander. He squared his shoulders, and admitted, "That bastard's got her."

Xander clenched his jaw, and quickly went over his options, which, admittedly, were few. Too young, no qualifications, no rank or status here. In fact his options came down to precisely nothing. "I'll take Will down to Abby. She's good, you know that. She can help Abs with … whatever."

Gibbs nodded. "What will you do?"

Xander worked his shoulders, then nodded towards Buffy. "We'll get out of your hair. I have a couple of things I wanted to show Buff, anyway."

Gibbs nodded, and dropped his hand on Xander's shoulder for a moment before turning back to his team. Xander turned to Willow. "You up for this?" he asked gently.

"For Kate? Yeah. Walk me down?"

"Of course," he smiled, before leading her back to the lift.

Once they had settled Willow at a computer in the forensics lab, they made their way out of the building, and out of the Navy Yard.

"Where to now, Xan?" Buffy asked.

"Somewhere I was wanting to take you, anyway. You get the deal, don't you, Buff? We can't do anything here, can we. This is a human thing. You can't slay, and I can't research. I'm not part of this, and I can't do anything about it."

"This sucks," Buffy grumbles.

"Sucks the big one," Xander agreed calmly. "Of course, there is another avenue open to us," he added with a sly glance.

* * *

Buffy watched as Xander pushed open the shop's glass door, and smiled. "What's the plan?"

Xander looked sideways at her, and grinned. "There's more than one way to do things, Buffy. You should know that by now." He looked around, and saw a stranger at the counter, a young blonde, perhaps their own age. "Um, hi. I was looking for Ms Trelawney. Is she in today?"

The blonde looked up, startled. "Oh, um, h-hi," she answered in a soft voice. "M-Ms Trelawney is just -"

"Just here, young Mr Harris," Tamsyn Trelawney greeted, smiling. "And what can I do for you today?"

"Ms Trelawney, I would like you to meet Buffy Summers, a dear friend from back home," Xander introduced.

Buffy's eyes went wide when she heard Xander's rather formal introduction, but then noticed the shopkeeper's sudden tension.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Summers," the woman nodded. "Tara, dear, could you please lock the door and flip the sign, and then come out back with us? I may need your help with something." With that, she signalled for Xander and Buffy to follow her.

Once the three of them were in the back room, the shopkeeper turned to Xander. "How may I help the Slayer and her assistant?" she asked.

Xander shook his head. "We're not here on official business, Trew," he assured her. "It's more my side of things. Do you remember what we discussed?"

Ms Trelawney sucked in a breath. "Yes. What are you thinking of?"

Xander sighed. "One of my brother's people has … gone missing. Their people are on it, and they will find her. They're really good, fantastically good, and Will's helping them, and I know beyond a doubt that they will find her. I just want to make sure there's still something to be found."

"Protection," the dark-haired woman confirmed.

"Protection," Xander agreed.

The woman nodded, and began her preparations, calling instructions to the blonde from time to time. Buffy sidled up to Xander. "What's going on?"

"Soon after I found this place, I got to know Trew, Ms Trelawney. One thing led to another, and it sort of came out that I was involved with you. After all, how many teenagers pick up books on Sumerian?" he added with a small smile. "Then I mentioned Tony, and Gibbs, and the others. How they worked so hard at what they do, but they have no protections from the nightlife. They don't know anything about that side of things at all – hell, Abby's a Goth, and she doesn't believe, not really. So we got together, and worked out ways of organising it so that Trew could do location and protection spells on the team. For times like this. I've given each of them some kind of amulet at some point, and hopefully Kate is wearing hers today." He chewed the inside of his cheek in thought. "I can't do anything, Buffy. Not a damned thing. I have all these memories in my head, from Halloween, from the soldier, and spending all this time with Gibbs has only kept them alive. I want to do something, I need to do something, and I can't. Gibbs and Tony are suspicious enough as it is, and if I were to come out and do something, it would just ..." He sighed. "He's suspicious of you, too, did you notice?"

"I noticed him looking at me, if that's what you mean," Buffy agreed.

"Yeah. He had the FBI investigate Sunnydale, did you know? And they got chased off by the Mayor's office." Buffy stared at him at that revelation. Xander glanced at her, with small twisted smile. "Yeah. I've told Giles already. This next year coming isn't going to be the cake-walk that last year was. And I'm stuck out here. Sure I can do research, but you've got a good team back in the 'Dale now, don't you. You and Kendra, two Watchers, and a werewolf/computer guy. You're doing well."

"And I'm glad you're out, Xander. I miss you, sure, but I'm glad you're here with Willow. And you do good work, you know that."

"Yeah. I study, I research. And I know I would be the weak link back in Sunnyhell, but..."

"But SoldierGuy wants to come out and play?" Buffy teased.

Xander sighed. "Yeah."

Buffy and Xander's attention was caught by the swirling lights over the bowl in Ms Trelawney's hands. Suddenly, the lights dissipated. "Done," the witch announced.

* * *

They had gotten Kate back, unharmed. 'That bastard' turned out to be a Mossad agent, deep (_deep_) undercover. Gibbs had shot the man in the shoulder to 'help' his cover when he returned to his organisation. Something that had chilled Xander to the core had been the accidental revelation that the woman Tony had been chasing, and had asked out, had been part of the man's group, and had actually been planning to kill him. The thought of losing his brother was stunning in its brutality, and yet oddly reminiscent of the times his own dates had turned out to be less than beneficent.

Willow, on the other hand, had glowed with pride at how she had helped locate Kate. She had worked with Abby, and they had worked well together. And a proud father's kiss had done nothing to bring her back to earth. Gentle teasing from her friends about the 'super hacker' had only caused her to roll her eyes briefly, before she had returned to her glowing pleasure.

Buffy had returned to Sunnydale a few days after the incident, heavy laden with books that Xander had accumulated for the Watchers, but hadn't wanted to send via a mundane courier. He knew they would be safe in Buffy's hands. Who would dare attack the Slayer for the (admittedly powerful) books she guarded. The fact that it meant that Giles could write off Buffy's tickets as a Council expense just added to the list of benefits for the trip.

* * *

Xander walked beside his best friends as they entered the school grounds. He was amazed to find that he was actually looking forward to this year of school. It was the first time he could remember being so happy about the year ahead, which was a sad statement on his life prior to moving here to live with his brother. He was also a bit excited about something he'd organised last week.

He glanced over at Willow, who was walking with Steve. Steve had his arm slung casually around the petite redhead's shoulders, and they were talking quietly about lunch plans. Smiling, he looked around at the incoming crowd, looking for other friends they'd made in the few months they'd attended at the end of the prior year. He spotted Connor talking to someone, as well as some of the track team that he'd befriended after joining up under duress. No longer worried about morphing into a belligerent, no-necked bully, he was also looking forward to trying out again for the team.

Looking further around, he noticed, and pointed out, some of Willow's new friends. Amazing how a change of scenery could change how people saw you. Back in Sunnydale, they had started out as losers, and morphed into freaks. Here, they were borderline cool. Buffy had been jealous of their new-found popularity, but also vastly pleased for them.

Then he noticed someone. A girl, brunette, with definite attitude. Willow and Steve stopped, and looked back at him.

"There a problem, Xan?" Steve asked.

Still staring at the girl, Xander asked, "Tell me she's new. Tell me I didn't miss noticing her last year."

Steve blinked, then followed Xander's stare to the brunette. "Her?"

* * *

A/N: Yes. That's where the chapter ends. Why? Because I'm evil.


	17. Starting Senior

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS or NCIS

Fits in with NCIS episode 2.01 – See No Evil

A/N: Finally started watching Season 2, so now getting storylines with actual relevance. Won't be going through the season, episode by episode, but will be referencing things.

* * *

"There a problem, Xan?" Steve asked.

Still staring at the girl, Xander asked, "Tell me she's new. Tell me I didn't miss noticing her last year."

Steve blinked, then followed Xander's stare to the brunette. "Her?"

* * *

Diana walked beside her ward as they entered the main school building. "You do know how proud I am of you, don't you? You've done very well these last six months, and I expect you will continue to do very well," she added, smiling.

"You sure I'm up to date? I'm not going to just, you know, fall on my a- … face here?"

Diana smiled. "I am quite sure. You are at least on a par with the others in your class, and ahead on some. You've worked very hard."

When they arrived at the office, Faith noticed another girl walk out of an office, blonde and shy looking, beside a smiling dark-haired man, and the school's principal, who she'd met the previous week.

"Professor Dormer, Faith" Principal Sanders greeted, smiling. "This is great timing. I would like you to meet Dr Ryan, and his niece Tara Maclay."

Tara smiled nervously at the brunette. "H-hi," she murmured.

"Hey," Faith returned, not much calmer than the blonde, but hiding it a bit better. "So... You're not from around here?"

"N-no, I'm n-not. M-my M-mom and I-i moved in with m-my Uncle J-jack for a bit. I-i've never b-been t-to a s-school like th-this before."

Faith scoffed. "Me, neither. I'm from Boston. A Southie," she added.

"I-i'm from A-alabama," Tara offered.

Faith gave the other girl a good, long look. They were both massively out of place here: one girl from the wrong side of town, and the other a shy country-type girl. Individually they could both crash and burn. Together, they might make it. "So. What you doing for lunch?"

* * *

Willow rolled her eyes. "Xander," she drawled. "Even I know that's Beth Liao."

Xander glanced back to his friends. "That's not sounding good for 'new girl who doesn't know me'-ness."

"Well, duh," Steve grinned. "Not only that, but she has a major thing against jocks."

Xander perked up. "Well, that's okay then." With that, he jogged over to the girl who had caught his eye. When he caught up with her, he offered his hand. "Hi, I'm Xander. How are you?"

The brunette cocked an eyebrow and looked him up and down before responding. "Don't do jocks," she sneered as she turned away.

"That's great," Xander smiled. "I'm not a jock."

Beth turned back, surprised look on her face. "Uh, yeah, you are."

"No. I run. I'm not a jock."

"You're part of the track team, therefore you are a jock," she argued, facing him squarely, hands on hips.

"No," Xander replied, smiling, "I'm doing a full AP course. If anything, I'm a nerd."

"You beat up a jock your first week here," Beth pointed out.

"That was self defence, I didn't touch him, and I read comics," Xander offered.

"Comics? Who reads comics?"

"Not jocks," Xander grinned. "Look, you can call me a nerd, a geek, doofus, dork, anything, just don't call me a jock. I am not, and never have been a jock. My brother, now, is a full on jock, and you may call him that with my good pleasure. Me, not so much."

The brunette considered him for a long moment. "You're weird, you know that?"

"Yup," he grinned.

She folded her arms, and stared at him for a bit longer. Finally, she said, "Nerdgeekdoofusdork. How's that?"

Xander laughed. "Does that mean you'll talk to me?"

Beth rolled her eyes. "Fine. Dork," she added, having selected a name. She turned then, and started to walk to class. She looked back over her shoulder to him. "You coming? We have science up first."

Xander smiled as he tilted his head. "We have a class together? Cool."

Beth looked past him to Willow, who just shrugged and shook her head. She looked back to Xander. "I've decided on a new name for you: Oby. Stands for oblivious."

Puzzled, he turned back to Willow, who patted his shoulder as she passed him. Steve shook his head, grinning. "You were in the same class last year, too," the taller youth offered in a stage whisper.

* * *

Xander and Willow entered Abby's lab, and looked around. The lab was empty, and even Xander could see the spot where one of the scientist's main computers should be, but wasn't. "Huh," he murmured, spinning slowly to check the lab again. "Will? Any idea?"

"Hot as this place is, Abby probably fried her computer. If it was something really important, she would have to go somewhere cold. And the whole building's airconditioning is out, so... Nope," the redhead decided. "No idea."

"Somewhere cold," Xander mused. "Do you really think they're going to let the morgue warm up?"

Willow's eyes went wide. "Oh, ew. No." She tilted her head in thought. "Actually, that would work. It would have to stay cold, and Ducky should have some spare room for her to park her computer."

The teenagers nodded to one another, and headed out to the lifts again.

* * *

Xander let his head drop back as he walked through the automatic doors into the morgue. "Oh, thank all beneficent gods and goddesses for airconditioning," he moaned, grinning.

"I'm not sure if your father would appreciate your being down here, Willow," Ducky warned, eyeing the assorted body parts already laid out on three tables.

"It's okay, Ducky," Willow smiled. "I've got a strong stomach." Glancing around, she moved closer, and quietly asked, "What about the little girl?"

"That's Sandy," Ducky said, smiling at the girl sitting in the corner, listening to a CD, "and she's blind, which is why your father has no problems with her being here."

Xander moved closer. "Why's she here? Is there anything we should know?"

"Oh, well, she and her mother were kidnapped to put pressure on her father. She was released as a good faith gesture, and has helped the investigation by utilising her very fine sense of hearing. Come: I'll introduce you."

Ducky walked the teens over to the girl, and gently touched her arm, getting her attention. The girl smiled up at him as she removed her earphones.

"Sandy, dear, I would like you to meet Willow and Xander. I thought that maybe they could take you for a drink and maybe a snack. It's okay for you to go with them. Willow is Agent Gibbs' daughter, and Xander is Agent DiNozzo's brother."

The girl smiled at the teens, and set her CD player aside. "Thank you, Ducky. I'd like that."

Willow took Sandy's hand, and the three walked out to the lift.

Xander smiled at the little girl. "So you're working with Gibbs, are you?"

Sandy smiled, and held up her other hand. "He gave me a shield."

Willow smiled. "Wow! I don't even have a shield, and he's my dad."

"Agent Gibbs is really nice. He doesn't treat me like I don't know anything, or can't do anything."

"He really is," Willow nodded. "And he's very good at his job."

"He's gone to rescue my mom," Sandy offered.

"Oh, well then. Your mom is as good as here already," Willow decided as they entered the lunch-room.

"Really?" Sandy asked, uncertain.

"Definitely," Xander agreed as he selected drinks for the three of them. "When Gibbs goes out to do something, he does it." They sat at a table, and he looked at the miniature badge in the girl's hand. "So. Junior Agent, huh? Don't think that means you can boss us around, 'cause you can't," he nodded.

Sandy rolled her eyes. "I know that."

"Yeah," Willow agreed. "'Cause we don't have badges, so you don't out-rank us, so you can't order us around."

Sandy thought about that. "But that means you're just civilians, doesn't it?"

Xander grinned. "Uh, yeah," he drawled encouragingly.

"So, if it's an investigation, I can order you around, can't I?"

"She's smart," Xander pouted.

"She is. No wonder she's got a badge and we haven't. It's just not fair," Willow sighed.

Sandy giggled

* * *

Abby hurried into the lunch-room, huge smile across her face. "They've got her!" she announced as she reached the table.

Sandy looked up, brilliant smile wreathing across her face. Willow wrapper her arms around the little girl, while Xander laid his hand on her blonde head. "Hear that?" Willow whispered. "She's safe. Your mom's safe."

* * *

Xander slid into his bed, exhausted. He was a little amazed that he and Willow had found the time (the motivation, even) to do their homework after the day's excitement, but the airconditioning had come back on, and Gibbs had sent them to Abby's lab under strict instructions to do their work, and not to allow Willow to get involved in Abby's work, no matter how much she could help. It had been after ten o'clock before Gibbs and Tony had fetched them to go home, and he could tell that Gibbs was pissed about the mastermind still being free. Abby was still at the lab, trying to follow the money. But tomorrow had school for him and Willow, followed by lessons with Adam, and he desperately needed sleep.

* * *

"So did you ever find out who the mastermind was?" Xander asked as he served dinner for the two of them.

"Oh, yeah."

Xander waited for a moment, before prompting, "And..."

Tony grinned. "Captain Watson, himself."

"He arranged the kidnapping of his own family?" Xander demanded.

"Yep."

"So he made it back to HQ in one piece?" Xander asked, smirking.

"Actually, yes. I think Gibbs wanted to make sure he actually served time for his crimes."

"Fair enough. Anything else?"

"Oh, hey! We got a Probie!"

"McGee got on the team?" Xander grinned. "Cool."

* * *

A/N: Just so we're clear, Willow and Xander are going to Glenville High School, while Tara and Faith are going to Westridge Day School.


	18. Making Connections

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or NCIS

A/N: It Lives!

A/N2: Set during NCIS episode 2.06 "Terminal Leave." Dialogue from www . twiztv . com / scripts / ncis / season2 / ncis-206 . htm

* * *

"Hey, Di," Faith called from the kitchen. "What do you think of magic?"

Diana walked in from the lounge room and studied her ward. "Someone talking about the latest Harry Potter book?"

"Nah. You remember Tara? We met her on the first day of school."

"The fair-haired girl? She seemed shy."

"Yeah. She said she and her mom follow the old ways. They do magic."

"The old ways," Diana mused. "That would be Wicca or Paganism. Yes, magic exists, every bit as much as vampires and Slayers. If her mother is teaching her, it's likely that she's learning properly, and will be skilled and careful when she's older. I'd rather you didn't discuss slaying with her, but certainly feel free to befriend her."

"Thanks. She's nice. Sweet, even. It's strange," the brunette laughed. "Never thought I'd like someone so … soft. One of the girls picks on her for being a country girl, and she just goes all red, and starts stuttering. But she never says anything about me, or how much I like guys, or anything like that. Don't think she'd ever call me a slut or anything, which is more than I can say for some at school."

Diana studied Faith for a long moment. "Bring her over sometime. You can give her my number if her mother wants to talk to me first."

Faith grinned. "Cool. Thanks, Di."

"And try not to eat me out of house and home when you do," she added as she walked back to her desk.

* * *

"The item that Ducky retrieved from the dog, I put it through x-ray chromatography. There's traces of C-4," Abby explained to the speaker phone.

"It was a bomb," Gibbs guessed.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Also the presence of mercury. Used as a vibration trigger. It's the exact same chemical signature as the bomb that killed that naval attaché in Morocco last month. You're dealing with -"

"An al-Qaeda assassination team," Gibbs finished.

"Yeah. Hey, look, Xan and Will are about to leave. You want to talk to them before they go?"

"Sure. Willow, honey?"

"Here, Dad. Xan's with me, like Abby said, and he's driving me home, and staying in the guest room, so I'll be fine."

"Remember you got school in the morning," Gibbs warned.

"Homework's all done," Willow began.

"Like you'd ever not have your homework done," Xander teased.

Willow gave her friend a mild glare, then continued. "And we'll call you before we head to school."

"Xan," Gibbs frowned, "do me a favour and skip your run tomorrow?"

The younger man rolled his eyes. "Already planned that, Gibbs."

"Oh, come on," Willow groaned. "I can survive in my own home while Xander's off trying for death by pavement."

"Just humour an old man, will you, Princess?"

It was Willow's turn to roll her eye. "Yes, Dad."

"Okay. Get home now, and stay safe," the Gibbs grinned.

"Love you, Dad," Willow replied, ending the call.

* * *

Xander walked up to the counter, and smiled at the semi-familiar blonde standing there. "Hey, uh, Tara, right?" he greeted.

"H-hi," she smiled softly. "H-how can I h-help you today?"

"I need to refresh the wards around my home, and I might as well get supplies for doing Willow's while I'm at it," Xander decided.

"You do m-magic?" Tara asked.

Xander made a face. "Only little stuff. Wards and things that anyone can do. Willow wants to learn magic, though," he added thoughtfully.

"D-does she have a teacher?" Tara asked.

"Not yet," Xander shook his head. "I kind of persuaded her to wait until she starts college before she does that, but that was mainly because I was worried about her taking on too much."

Tara nodded. "B-bad things can happen when you t-try to learn magic too quickly, or w-without a teacher."

"That's what I was thinking," Xander agreed. "I mean, I know she's, like, uber smart, but I just worry, sometimes. After all, I'm learning sword fighting from a master. I'd hate to think of the mess I'd make if I tried it by myself," he made a face. "So do you know anyone who could teach her?"

"W-well, my mother is teaching me, o-or maybe Ms Trelawney would know?"

Xander nodded. "I'll ask Trew next time I talk to her. So are you from around here?"

"N-no," Tara shook her head as she began opening ingredient jars. "We're f-from Alabama. My uncle or-or cousin b-brought us h-here. H-he's been very k-kind to us. H-he works for the g-government, and he d-doesn't c-care that we p-practice the Old Ways."

"Huh," Xander snorted. "So not all government workers are idiots. Who knew?" he asked with a grin.

Tara rolled her eyes. "He's v-very smart," she frowned reprovingly. "And A-aunt C-cathy is an eye surgeon," she added nodding. She blinked, then, realising that her recent friendship with Faith had made her a lot bolder. Now if she could just get rid of her stutter.

"I suppose she's beautiful, and they're rich?" Xander suggested. "That's always the way," he shook his head sorrowfully.

"My friend, Faith, is very pretty," Tara suggested.

Xander tilted his head thoughtfully. "Okay, two things: first, what about you; and, second, my girlfriend, Beth, would kill me either way."

Tara blushed, and hung her head so her hair fell forward.

"Oh, hey!" Xander began, startled. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to … well. Um, anyway. Oh, I should bring Will around. I'm sure she'd love to talk magic stuff with you. Would you like that? Except, I have to warn you, she babbles a bit. Okay, well, a lot. A huge lot. You might have a problem getting a word in edgewise, but all you really need to do is cover her mouth, or tell her to breathe, which is probably the better way, since she has this bad habit of licking your hand if you cover her mouth like that," he added, making a face.

Tara peered up at him through her hair. "Oh," she murmured. "Wow. So … i-is she anything l-like that?"

Xander blushed. "Uh, yeah? But, you know, totally nice with it. So … you want?"

Tara busied herself collecting the ingredients as she though. "S-sure," she nodded finally, before smiling up at him shyly. "Th-that would be nice."

* * *

"You ever worry about Willow and Xander getting together?" Tony asked.

Gibbs snorted. "About as much as I worry about you and Cate getting together. Less, actually."

Tony shuddered, then narrowed his eyes. "Less?"

Gibbs smirked. "I respect Cate, but Willow's my daughter. My _under-age, untrained_ daughter. Cate can take care of herself, and if she's willing to stoop that low, she can have you if she wants, Rule 12 not withstanding."

"And yet," Tony countered, "do you really think you could stop Xander if he really wanted her? I mean, he respects the hell out of you, but if he _really_ wanted Willow, do you think you could stop him?"

Gibbs considered that for a moment. "No," he answered shortly. "I think if he really wanted her, then he would go for it. But he doesn't, so he won't. And she's happy enough with that boy from school. And he damn well better not break her heart," he added savagely.

Tony snorted. "Oh, yeah. I think he's too scared of you and Xan to ever do that." He was quiet for a moment, then went on. "Okay, what about Xander and Abby?"

Gibbs grinned at the thought. "She thinks he's cute, but she prefers older men. And Xander's real glad of that."

Tony laughed at the thought of his brother's startled, wide-eyed look, and of Abby pursuing the teen. "I can just see her hunting him."

Gibbs chuckled. "She'd have to fight Willow to get to him."

"Oh, can you see it?" Tony asked, still laughing. "They'd have a hacker duel!"

Gibbs rolled his eyes, then calculated the distance. Nah. Too far to reach the back of Tony's head. "Don't you have an officer to guard?" he demanded.

* * *

"How's it hanging?" Faith asked as she dropped into the seat beside the blonde.

Tara rolled her eyes. "Don't know." She glanced at the brunette, and, just as she took a sip of her drink, she added, "Why don't you ask Mindy?"

Faith snorted the soda, and began coughing in reaction. As soon as she had calmed sufficiently, she said, without heat, "Bitch. You know, I really think I'm being a bad influence on you."

"Like that's a surprise," Tara snorted. "You are a very bad influence on me. I even talked to a guy yesterday."

"Whoa," Faith breathed. "Thought you didn't swing that way," she teased.

Tara pouted. "I don't. But he was nice. And very respectful, both of me as a girl, and me as a witch. Or, rather, student witch."

"Uh huh," Faith grunted doubtfully. "Respectful."

"He's not like that," Tara argued. "He's learning the sword, and everything."

"Oh, God," Faith groaned. "Respectful, and a ren-fair nut. Next he'll be a Momma's boy, and gay as anything."

"He has a girlfriend," Tara countered.

"No," Faith argued. "He _says_ he has a girlfriend. Big difference. Now if I saw him making out with this 'girlfriend', then I might believe him."

"He's hunky," Tara persuaded.

"Rock Hudson was hunky," Faith shook her head. "And what are you doing noticing guys like that. I thought you only had eyes for me," she pouted.

Tara rolled her eyes. "I'm gay," she explained, "not blind. And any time you want to try something, you just let me know."

Faith appeared to consider that. "I'll keep that in mind. So. About this hunky, respectful, sword-wielding, _straight_," she snorted, "guy you were talking to. Come on, tell!"

Tara shrugged. "He came in to get some ingredients for household wards for himself and his friend, Willow. He said she wants to learn magic, but doesn't have anyone to teach her."

"Ooh," Faith grinned. "Think she wants to 'do spells?'" she teased.

"Faith," Tara chided, slapping her leg. "Not everyone's like that. And you really are bad for me. Next thing you know, I'll be hitting on this poor girl when he brings her in. Assuming I can actually do anything more than stutter at her," she added, frowning.

"It'll come," Faith assured her. "If she's worth it, she'll take the time to let you get to know her, and you'll relax enough around her."

* * *

Tony pottered around the kitchen, making dinner for the two of them. It was great to be in his own home, waiting for his brother to get in. The case had finally broken, just as the Lieutenant-Commander had finished her Terminal Leave. Turned out, there was a bit of an al Qaeda plot, but there was a whole chunk of cheating husband/jealous lover thrown into the mix. They had gotten there, but only after now-Mrs Shields had killed the aforementioned jealous lover. He looked up when he heard the door open, and saw his brother come in and dump his bag behind the door.

Xander looked down at the basket that held Tony's keys and other personal items, and frowned. "Where's your sunglasses?" he asked.

Tony scowled. "Damn kid," he muttered to himself.


	19. Corrupting Influences

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or NCIS

* * *

Xander looked around the mall, not really sure why they were there. Tony, Gibbs and Kate were down in Paraguay on am ugly kidnapping case, so he was staying at Gibbs' place, looking after Willow. Not that she needed looking after, but Gibbs and he both felt better knowing that there was at least someone standing between Willow and a possible attacker. Gibbs had enemies enough to make that a possibility. Of course, Willow usually muttered phrases like 'paternal tyranny', and 'masculine domination.'

So here they were, at the mall. Willow had asked for permission, because she hadn't wanted to be stuck in the house all day. She had also asked for Steve to join them, and Xander had asked Beth to come, as well. At the last moment, he'd popped into the Magic Shoppe and invited Tara, who agreed, only if her friend Faith could come. Xander had grinned, and said 'the more the merrier,' so here they were. Two guys and four girls. Xander, though, wasn't stupid enough to say something about the numbers. Willow, Beth, and probably Faith would hit him for it. And Tara was a student witch. It never paid to piss off a witch.

"So what are we doing today?" Steve asked. "Movie?"

"Movie sounds good, blondie," Faith grinned.

Xander smiled at the new girl. She was as different from Tara as someone could be, and still be human. Where Tara was quiet, shy and timid, Faith was right out there, flirting with each and every one of them. Willow and Steve had just looked at the brunette with wide eyes, while Beth had considered her shrewdly. Tara had just rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"We could do a movie," Xander nodded. "But what do we watch? Horror? I'm sure Steve and I are man enough to look after you little ladies," he grinned. Okay, so maybe he was that stupid. Moving on. "I could go an action movie, but – please, God – no chick flicks."

"God, no!" Beth and Faith chorused, and then blinked at each other.

Willow pouted, and Tara startled herself by snickering. Wide-eyed, she blushed and ducked her head.

Willow reached out a gentle hand to the blonde. "Hey, don't worry about it," she murmured, smiling. "We're all friends here. So, uh, Xander tells me you work at Mrs Trelawny's place."

Tara shot the redhead a grateful smile from under her blonde shield. "Y-yes," she whispered. "M-my M-mom works there a-and got me an a-after-s-school job."

Willow grinned. "It must be fascinating working with all that … stuff," she added, shooting a nervous look at her uneducated boyfriend.

Tara smiled shyly. "I-it's … wonderful. Th-the connection w-with the universe, serving the Goddess."

"And your Mom teaches you?" Willow went on, excitedly.

"Since, since I was a little girl," Tara nodded. "A-and my grandma, too. I-it goes way back in my family."

"And Faith?" Willow asked doubtfully. "Is she … into that stuff?"

Tara opened wide eyes at that suggestion, and giggled. "N-no! Sh-she's not into … that stuff. But there is something … special about her. I just don't know what it is. There's just … something. I-it's in her aura, like a thin, pale golden light that surrounds her. I, I don't know what it could be, but I know it's nothing b-bad. Although," she added confidentially, "I th-think she's been c-corrupting m-me."

"Corrupting?" Willow asked cautiously. "Uh, how?"

"Not, not bad," Tara shook her head. "Just…" she chewed her lip. "My D-dad would have hated her. She's s-so s-strong, s-so determined, and, and she w-wouldn't've l-let him…" She caught herself with a wary look, then cleared her throat. "She, she helps me … feel b-better, m-more confident."

"Then that's good" Willow nodded. "You should feel confident. Or, you know, not like you can't do anything, or you have to always ask if it's okay, or, whatever."

* * *

Spike was cruising along the mall, looking into the occasional shop, considering whether or not to pinch something out of the music shop (if they even had anything worth pinching.) His princess was in a tetchy mood, and there might be something here that might please her, maybe a nice natural blonde or a sweet little moppet. It was so easy to extract a child, for all that parents were almost psychotic in their possessiveness. Just a look, a few sweet words, and, most importantly, a few moments inattention by the parents. (_I thought you were looking after him! No, I thought you were!_)

His attention was grabbed by a piercing stare from across the mall. A tall, dark-haired teen was staring at him, while talking to a petite redhead beside him. Even as he watched, the oddly familiar redhead began steering her group away from the brunet and further away from him. The boy, however, noting that he now had Spike's attention, began walking quickly away from both his friends and from Spike. Knowing full well that he was being led away, Spike smirked, and let the boy lead him.

* * *

Faith sidled close to Willow then bumped her shoulder into the smaller woman's. "What's going on, Red?" she asked quietly.

Willow looked up at the brunette, startled. "Nothing. Why would there be anything wrong? Why would you even ask that?"

Faith snorted. "'Cause your bestie just took off? Like he was leading someone away from us?"

Willow twisted her fingers together. "It's just … there's this guy. And he's really not a nice guy. And we kind of know him, from back in Sunnydale, though he's not from Sunnydale, but he's from England, and he's really scary, and Xander's hoping he can just get him away from us, 'cause he's always been very protective of me, especially now that we're here, and Dad really likes it when he's over-protective, because then someone's looking after his little princess even when he can't be there, and if something were to happen to me while Dad's in Paraguay then it would really be bad, and I think Xan would rather, er, jump straight into the lion's mouth rather than risk me being hurt. So, you know," she added, shrugging helplessly.

Faith stared at her for a moment. "Damn," she breathed, shocked. "How do you do that?"

Willow offered her a shaky smile. "Practice?"

* * *

Smirking, Spike noticed the very slight movement that told him the boy's next move would be a feint. He waited for the brunet to jink one way, and dove the other, catching him in a flying tackle.

"I wouldn't," Xander cried as Spike tilted his head back.

"Oh, yeah?" the vampire demanded, amused. "And why's that?"

"Buffy," Xander all but shouted. "You remember her? Blonde, Slayer? Still going well," he added.

"Yeah?" Spike prompted. "And?"

"I'm one of her best friends," Xander reasoned. "You kill me, and she'll be after you like … like something that's really after something else."

"Last I heard," Spike smirked, "she was all the way over on the Hellmouth. Not really terrifying me there."

"What? Have you forgotten already?" Xander taunted. "Two Slayers. You kill me, she goes on a whirlwind tour to get you while the other one stays to guard the Hellmouth."

"Still leaves you dead, mate," Spike shrugged.

"And you deader," Xander shot back. "Besides," he added, having found what he'd been digging in his pocket for, "there's always this." At that, he brought his small cross up and pressed it into Spike's cheek.

Spike jerked back with a roar, letting Xander fall, tumbling to the ground. He touched his fingers to his cheek, and scowled. "You've got nerve, boy, I'll give you that. So. Two Slayers, huh?"

"And Angel," Xander added.

Spike regarded the teen shrewdly. "I should eat you, you know."

"And I'm very grateful for your forbearance," Xander nodded. "Witness my gratitude."

"'Course, you know this means I'll just kill your little friends back home," Spike taunted.

"They're big girls, they can handle it," Xander shrugged. "Of course, Angel's a freebie, as far as I'm concerned."

"Is he, now?" Spike asked, amused.

"What can I say?" Xander asked. "He broods too much."

Spike laughed at that. "That he does, mate. That he does." He looked around, then nodded. "Right. I'll be off now. Got to give your love to the girls." With that, he took off in a swirl of leather.

Xander waited until the vampire had been gone for a good few minutes before he allowed himself to collapse back against the wall. It took him another couple of minutes before he could head back to the cinema forecourt, where he'd arranged to meet Willow, stopping only to make a quick phone call.

* * *

"So how was the mall today?" Di asked her ward.

"Pretty cool," Faith nodded. "There was a bit of excitement, though. Xan, that's Tara's friend through the magic store, saw someone they knew from back home in Sunnydale, only apparently he's a really bad-ass, so he led the guy one way while Willow took us the other way. But it was okay, because Xander turned up safe and sound, I don't know, ten-fifteen minutes later?"

Professor Dormer groped for a chair and sat down. "Sunnydale?" she asked weakly. "And, and did you say Xander? And Willow? Would that be Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg?"

"Uh, yeah?" Faith agreed hesitantly.

"You've met Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg from Sunnydale?" Di asked, wide-eyed. "Oh, dear Lord," she added faintly. "This 'bad-arse' – did you get a look at him?"

Faith frowned, and shrugged. "Uh, pale, really blond hair, wearing black. A guy."

"Pale? How pale?" Di asked.

"Very?" Faith tried. "You going to let me know what's going on?"

"Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg are notorious," Di explained. "They used to actually help the Slayer. Buffy Summers, that is. They went to school with her, and they were her friends, and they helped her in her Calling. It caused something of a scandal," she whispered, smirking.

"So … this is a good thing?" Faith tried.

"Good God, yes!" Di exclaimed. "Buffy Summers is one of the longer-lived Slayers of the last few decades. Nikki Wood, back in the seventies, lasted much longer, but she was an exception. Also, it was young Mr Harris that twinned the Slayer line."

"That whatted the what?" Faith demanded suspiciously.

"Twinned the line," Di repeated, grinning. "There are two Slayers at the moment."

Faith blinked. "Uh, how?"

"Buffy died," Di frowned. "According to prophecy, the Slayer was to face the Master, and die. Which she did, and she did. However, the Master did not fully drain her, but simply took enough to render her unconscious, and then left her in a pool of water to drown. Mr Harris revived with CPR, and she went on to defeat the Master and close the Hellmouth."

"So the prophecy actually, uh, came true?" Faith asked, frowning.

"Oh, yes. It was utterly fulfilled. She faced the Master, and he killed her. She just didn't stay dead," Di smirked. "It would seem that CPR was not forseen by the Pergamum Codex."

"So cutie can think outside the square," Faith nodded. "And you want me to get to know them?"

"It certainly wouldn't hurt," Di nodded. "Although, as a loyal member of the Council of Watchers, I should warn you from them," she added conscientiously. "They are considered corrupting influences."

Faith snorted. "And I'm not?"

* * *

The handsome, dark-haired man stepped into the intersection of the halls, and looked around. Seeing the red-headed student, he smiled, and walked over to her. "Ms Gibbs?" he asked.

Willow looked up, startled, to see a man in a suit approaching her. "Yes? Can I help you?"

The man pulled out an ID wallet, and flipped it open. "Special Agent Harry Davids," he introduced. "I work with your father?"

Willow frowned, worried. "Is there a problem, Agent Davids?"

"There might be a problem," Agent nodded solemnly, "but we're not quite sure. Your father wanted you to come into the Navy Yard, just in case."

"Oh, okay," Willow nodded, glancing back down the hall, "but -"

"Willow," Xander greeted. "Who's this?"

"Oh, Xan," Willow sighed, "this is Agent Davids. Dad sent him to take us into the Navy Yard."

Xander nodded, looking not at his oldest friend, but at the Agent in front of them. "Yeah, I thought it was something like that. I just came from the office, and your Dad's on the phone. I'll wait here while you check in with him, then we can go in."

Willow tilted her head to the side, then nodded. "Okay. I should just be a few minutes."

Xander waited a minute, then checked that Willow was out of sight. "Haswari," he greeted calmly.


	20. Kill Ari Pt 1

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or NCIS

* * *

_Xander waited a minute, then checked that Willow was out of sight. "Haswari," he greeted calmly._

* * *

_The previous evening_

Xander pulled his phone out and checked the screen before getting up and walking out of the room. "DiNozzo," he answered, taking a moment of quiet pride. He'd made the decision over the Summer to change his name, and it still felt all shiny and new. The Harris name held no happy memories, and he'd also managed to lose the dreaded middle name.

"Xander," Gibbs greeted.

Xander glanced back at his best friend. "There a problem?" he asked quietly.

"The bastard's back in town," Gibbs explained.

Xander closed his eyes for a moment before speaking. "Do we need to come in?"

"No," Gibbs shook his head. "He's after me. I'll be staying here overnight. Kate's got me under watch, and I think she's got a car outside the house, just in case anything happens. I want you two to stay away for now. But I want you to lock the place down, close all the drapes, and stay away from the windows. No point in making a target of yourselves."

"Sure," Xander agreed. "I'll call first thing in the morning, and I'll drive us to school, rather than walk."

"Thanks," Gibbs offered gratefully. "You look after my little girl, okay. And keep yourself safe, too."

* * *

'Agent Davids' turned to the young man, and allowed his lips to thin. "That wasn't very nice," he accused.

"Like I care," Xander returned.

"You recognise me, then," Ari smiled.

"I'm looking after Gibbs' daughter. You think I wouldn't know what you look like?" Xander smirked. "So Kate's dead, is she?"

Ari snorted. "I didn't think the word had gotten out so quickly," he conceded.

"It hasn't. But you wouldn't go after Gibbs' daughter unless you already had his attention elsewhere. Kate is … was … one of only two females on his team, and the only one you had any real contact with. She's the one that's out in the field. She's the one that would have been facing him when you shot her, right?"

"You're a mind reader?" Ari taunted.

"She profiled you," Xander explained. "I got into her report. You're an arrogant bastard, who knows enough about Gibbs to know what strings to pull. She is, after all, the one that you kidnapped last time. Let's see... You shot her while she was talking to him. Looking straight at him, wasn't she," Xander mused. Without waiting for acknowledgement, he went on. "You couldn't have been up close, because you needed to get away, but you also needed Gibbs to see it, be looking her in the eye. You want to hurt him. Psychopaths like you love the torture. Must have given you a real hard-on."

"You're a little young to think like that, aren't you?" Ari suggested.

"You have no idea," Xander agreed.

"You're very cool about all this," Ari prompted.

Xander huffed a joyless laugh. "Yeah. Thing is, you're not the first psychopath I've ever met. And nowhere near either the scariest or the most inventive. But I've known … men, let's say, who scare the shit out of me. I was offered by one to another as a toy. I was sixteen. They were scary. You? Not so much."

"So now what?" Ari asked. "You're going to take me in to your beloved Gibbs?"

"And how can I do that? I'm just a student here. I'm unarmed," Xander added, spreading his hands. "What could I do to take you down?"

"You're a student?"

"Sure. In all of the same classes as Gibbs' daughter, we walk to school together, we socialise at lunch together. Just another student," he added, smiling.

Ari shook his head. "When did he plan this?"

"The daughter of NCIS's top agent? You think he wouldn't arrange something? And now she's far away. Not even in the building, and his team is just about here. You're running out of time," Xander taunted softly.

"I can't believe Gibbs would allow his daughter's bodyguard to walk around unarmed," Ari argued.

"Metal detectors, and not exactly anywhere to hide a gun," Xander returned.

Ari skimmed his eyes over the man in front of him. "Inside left calf," he identified.

"And I'll never reach it in time. And as I've already said, job's done. She's safe, and the team's on its way. With backup, of course."

Ari stood there, considering his options, then came to a decision. With a quick movement, he had pulled his gun, and fired off a quick shot before turning and running down the hall.

Xander staggered back against the lockers. He had dodged, but a human is only so fast. There was a line of fire across his upper arm, but he didn't think the bullet had penetrated. He began to pant, and his mind started to play out all the scenarios where it had gone wrong. Where he hadn't been quick enough to stop Willow, where Ari had just killed him, killed her, opened fire in a crowded hallway. He slid down the locker until he was sitting on the floor, seeing Willow dead on the floor, seeing himself dead on the floor, seeing carnage.

He didn't see Tony running up to him, reaching for him. He looked up, dazed, when his brother shook him, and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Will?"

"She's fine. She's safe. She called Gibbs, and we came out here ASAP. Lights and sirens, Xan. She _should_ be on her way to the Navy Yard, but she refuses to go anywhere until she sees you. Maybe if she talks to you," Tony added, as he pulled out his cell. He quickly dialling a number. "Gibbs? Put Willow on." Once he heard the girl's voice, he handed the phone to Xander.

"Xander?" he heard Willow squeal. "Xander are you there, are you okay? Please tell me you're okay. Tell me it's all okay," she begged.

Xander spoke before she could go on. "Willow-girl, you get your butt into that car, and you get yourself to the Navy Yard. Let your dad take you now. I'll be there right after you, okay?" With that, he handed the phone back to Tony, who had a few quick words with Gibbs before hanging up.

"Okay," Tony said. "Lets have a look at this." He gently pulled the fabric away from the wound on Xander's arm to look at it. "Okay. Looks like a flesh wound. Should last till we get back, and Ducky can fix you up. It'll be a lot safer that way."

Xander nodded.

Tony then took his brother's head in his hand, and looked into Xander's eyes. "What about you?" he asked gently. "You okay in there?"

Xander nodded again. "Just freaking out a little," he admitted softly. "She's dead, isn't she?"

Xander watched as Tony's expression grew guarded. "Who, Xan?"

"Kate. She's dead, isn't she?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I know this guy, Tone. I read Kate's profile, and I've read about others like him. He killed Kate. He did it exactly the way Gibbs would have. He got Gibbs' attention, all of your attention, got you busy, and excited, and _elsewhere,_" he hissed, "before he went for Gibbs' daughter. He's playing. The bastard is playing with us, with Gibbs," Xander added, panting harshly as he got worked up over the thoughts in his head.

"Xan," Tony barked. "Xan, calm down. You've got to calm the hell down. You can't do anything right now, except get back to the Yard, and let Ducky fix you. Then you're going to stay with Willow and Abby, and you are going to keep an eye on them for us. Think you can do that?" he asked tensely.

Xander returned his focus to his brother. "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that. But you need to get him, Tony. He's not going to stop. Abby's next. Willow and Abby."

"So we protect them. You stay with them at the Yard, while we go out and get that bastard. Think you can do that?" Tony asked, watching him carefully.

Xander nodded.

"Okay," Tony nodded. "Let's get you to Ducky, get you fixed up." With that, Tony helped Xander to his feet, and out to his car.

* * *

As soon as he saw Willow and Abby rushing him, he lifted his arm out of the way, and just waited for them to reach him. He staggered a little at the double impact, but lowered his arms around two of his favourite women, relishing their combined babble, but not their respective slaps.

"I can't believe you did that, Xan," Willow began. "That was possibly the most heroically stupid thing you could possibly do. What were you thinking? Were you thinking?"

"Xander, what were you thinking?" Abby scolded in conjunction with Willow. " You're not an agent, you haven't even finished high school. Haswari is a very dangerous man, and he had a weapon. Did you have a weapon? No. What am I thinking? Of course you didn't have a weapon."

"What if he shot you?" Willow demanded. "Oh God, he did shoot you. Oh God, Xander, you've been shot. Are you okay? Do you need to sit down? Xander, you have to sit down. Don't you know how dangerous it is to taunt terrorists like that?"

"What if we'd lost you?" Abby wanted to know. "We've just lost Kate; we can't lose you, too. And I have all this work to do, and you better believe that you're going to be helping me. It's going to be your punishment, young man, for doing this to me. You're going to give me grey hairs, just you mark my words, and I'm too young to have grey hairs -"

The women's babble was cut short by a piercing whistle. Gibbs glared at them from his position in the doorway. "He's alive; it was just a flesh wound; it'll heal. But he won't survive if you two don't stop pestering him like this. Now, just … settle down. Just … relax. We all have work to do, and Willow and Xander are off school until this is all settled. Abs, they'll be staying here with you, so … let them be useful, okay?"

Abby regarded her boss sadly, then raced over to engulf him in a hug. "We'll do it," she promised. "We'll find out everything we can about the evidence. And, and … Willow and Xander will be safe here with me, promise."

"I know, Abby," Gibbs smiled softly as he dropped a kiss on her head. "No leaving the building," he added to the three of them as he left the lab.

* * *

"Hey."

Xander looked up from Abby's desk to see Kate standing in front of him, wearing her tac vest and throat mike, and sporting a hole in the middle of her forehead. "You're dead," he observed.

Kate raised a hand to her forehead. "Yeah. It's, um, it's a new look I'm trying."

"You can't try 'dead' as a look," Xander grimaced. "I'm just … trying to work out why you're here, why I'm talking to you."

"Well, you know," Kate shrugged. "One last chance to clear the air, say what you wished you could have said."

"Where I get to say what I wished I could have?" Xander asked tightly. "How about I say that I'm angry? How about I say that I'm pissed at you? I gave you an amulet, it could have saved your life, but I'm thinking that it didn't go with whatever the hell you were wearing today. Would I be right?"

"And why would I wear it?" Kate asked, offended. "After all, magic's not real, is it? Because you'd have told us if magic was real, wouldn't you?" she accused. "You wouldn't leave us in the dark, would you?"

Xander clenched his fist. "I couldn't," he hissed. "I … I couldn't tell you, can't tell them. I… God, Kate, I miss you already," he choked. "You were like our big sister, and I failed you."

"Oh, Xan," Kate sighed, squatting down in front of him, now wearing the more casual clothes she would have worn to a barbeque at his place. "You didn't fail me. And you're not failing them. I didn't know about the magic, and, well, do you really think an amulet could have stopped this?" she asked pointing to the hole that had reappeared in her forehead.

Xander stared at the gunshot wound. "Maybe?" he tried. "I so wanted it to. I wanted to keep you safe."

"I know," Kate smiled softly. "But you can't always protect the people that you love. But you can always try. Especially when there's psychos like Haswari looking through windows."

Xander felt his stomach clench as he looked through the glass doors into the lab, to where Willow stood, in clear view of the basement windows. He heard the window break just as he reached Willow to barrel her to the ground, the rolled to one side to see his brother drag Abby to the wall under the now-broken window. He copied the gesture, and turned to see Gibbs rush in and turn off all the lights. He sat against the wall, Willow in his arms, as he relived all the ways the bastard could have taken his family from him. Had already tried. He watched Gibbs reassure himself that both women were okay, check on Tony, and give him a grateful smile. He listened to Gibbs and Abby discuss better windows, and sent off silent thanks to Kate for her warning.


	21. Kill Ari Pt 2

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or NCIS

* * *

Xander paced around the lab until Abby lost her patience with him, and sat him at a computer, ordering him to find some translating to do, or weapons to ogle, or just anything to keep him out from under her feet. Not that he could blame her – she already had McGee hanging about, and, large as the lab was, it wasn't built for two workers and two bodyguards.

He eyed the contractors warily, but was pleased that Gibbs had ordered the bullet-proof glass (_'No such thing,'_ he heard Abby say in his head) in the windows. He hated the useless feeling he had – at least Willow could help out with any computer-related stuff, as well as some tech stuff. Abby was happy to discuss the ballistics results with him, which gave him an idea of something to research, but that was about the extent of his usefulness to her that day.

He thought about the incident report they'd had to fill out. He'd been asked how he'd known to run out into the lab. How did he explain that Kate had warned him? Dead Kate. He wasn't even sure how that had happened. He'd thought it was just a hallucination, he way of coping with her sudden death, and the extended threat against all those he loved. But how does a hallucination give a warning?

* * *

Willow glanced around as she sat down at Abby's desk, then quickly lifted the phone. She dialled, and waited nervously for the phone to be answered, then introduced herself.

"Willow, dear," Tamsyn Trelawney greeted cheerfully. "How are you this morning? And why aren't you in school?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

"I, uh," Willow began shakily. "Kate's dead," she blurted out. "Oh, God," she whispered. "I, I … Kate's dead. She was shot. By, by a bad guy. I, we, I can't tell you anything about it. But, but … I want to learn," she announced.

Tamsyn sighed. "Why?" she asked sadly.

"I want… I need something. I need … to be able to…" Willow tried.

"Yes?"

Willow took a deep breath. "I want to be able to, to protect myself. To protect others. To fight the dark things."

"If I teach you," Tamsyn began, "I will teach you correctly. You will learn about balance, about centring yourself, and about the Goddess. If you try to rush your studies, if you cheat, I will take measures to bind your power. This is not something to take on lightly, do you understand?"

Willow nodded earnestly. "Yes, Ms Trelawney. I, I promise I'll do what you say."

"Good," Tamsyn sighed. "That's good. Now. How are you coping with your friend's death?"

A sob caught in Willow's throat. "Oh, God. It's, she's… She was so brave, and so smart. She used to guard the President, and she was so good at what she did…"

Tamsyn accepted a cup of tea from her friend, and settled in to listen to the young woman mourn.

* * *

Xander rounded the corner of the bull-pen, and stopped, frowning at the intruder. "Who's this?" he asked his brother.

"Ziva David," Tony answered briefly.

"'David'?" Xander repeated, eyebrow raised. "I met your 'colleague' yesterday," he added, nodding to Ziva. "And I mean that with the utmost disrespect."

Ziva looked the younger man up and down. "Ari is a fine agent," she retorted.

"No," Xander argued, "Ari is a fine murderer, a fine psychopath. Unless, of course, you're allying yourself with Hammas and/or Al Qaeda."

"He's undercover," Ziva spat. "He is a loyal Mossad operative."

"So shooting an unarmed school kid is SOP for Mossad?" Xander snorted. "Remind me to recommend crossing Mossad off Gibbs' list of acceptable allies."

"You are a child," Ziva sneered. "What would you know about what undercover agents need to do to survive?"

"He knew enough to keep my daughter alive, and out of your agent's hands," Gibbs growled. "He knew that Kate was dead, and accused _your agent_ of her murder."

"Which he never refuted," Xander added. "So how's that for your precious agent? And why'd he identify himself with your name?" he added, curious.

Ziva blinked at the sudden change in topic. "I don't understand."

"David, Davids, it's the same name, essentially," Xander shrugged. "Why did he want to identify Willow's kidnapper as having ties back to you?"

Ziva opened his mouth, but couldn't find an answer to fill it.

* * *

Willow heard the glass door to the lab open and close, but ignored it. Abby had her searching for sales records on a selection of rifles, and it was meticulous, if somewhat boring, work.

"What are these children doing here?" a strange female voice demanded.

Willow turned to see Tony with an older redhead, and her lips tightened unconsciously as she wondered what relationship the woman had with her father. Beside her, she could sense Xander ready to move, his hand reaching for a non-existent handgun. Sometimes she thought that his Halloween memories would have faded if they'd been left in Sunnydale, instead of moving here where he was surrounded almost constantly by military personnel.

Tony cleared his throat. "Madame Director," he began, and Willow noticed Xander relax back into his seat, "perhaps some introductions would be in order. You of course know Special Agent Timothy McGee, and with him is our Forensic Scientist, Abby Sciuto. The other two people in the lab are Willow Gibbs, Agent Gibbs' daughter, and my brother, Xander DiNozzo. Agent Gibbs has Xander looking after Willow, since Ari has already made one confirmed attempt on her safety. Everyone, this is Director Shepard."

"I'm sorry?" the Director asked, surprised. "When was this?"

"Yesterday, when they were at school," Tony explained. "Ari shot Xander as he was getting away."

"I'm sure there's a logical explanation for that," Shepard argued.

"I'd give you my explanation," Xander began, turning back to his work, "but I doubt you'd like it."

Tony smirked. "When he's not being my little brother, Xander's busy trying to be Gibbs' Junior. He's about the closest I've seen a protege for the Boss, which is really scary at times."

"Got that right," McGee muttered, earning a slap from Abby.

"I see he's got the same thing for redheads," the Director smirked.

"Oh, Xander's not going out with Willow," Tony grinned. "Though I do pity the poor sucker, I mean guy, who is dating Agent Gibbs' only child, and my brother's childhood friend."

"All he has to do is treat her right," Xander muttered, earning a slap from Willow, which he promptly hammed up when it fell near his wound.

Willow scowled at her lifetime friend. "Give it up, Xander. I know that if you're acting like that, you weren't hurt. And puppy dog eyes don't work on me," she added when he turned said eyes on her. She turned to the new Director. "It's nice to meet you, Madame Director," she nodded, then turned back to her work.

Jenny Shepard raised an eyebrow. Had she just been dismissed by a schoolchild? She turned to Tony, who have a slight smile.

"Like I said," Tony shrugged as he led the Director out of the lab, "there's been one confirmed attempt against Willow, plus she was in the lab this morning when someone shot at the lab. Xander was the one to grab Willow."

"He's very young," Jenny frowned. "He almost looks like he should still be in high school."

"He is," Tony acknowledged. "He's a Senior at Glenville High, with Willow. He's on the Track team, and doing all AP classes. "

Jenny raised her eyebrow. "A jock and a nerd? Finally a male capable of multitasking."

"He doesn't like being called a jock," Tony grimaced. "He's a geek, and proud of it."

"And he's your brother?" Jenny asked.

"Yes, Ma'am, and I'm proud of him," Tony smiled easily.

"So what about Willow?"

Tony grinned. "Oh, Willow is a confirmed genius, absolute techno-geek. She, Abby and McGee have regular geek-gasms over the latest new tech. And then she and Abby babble about it, and I've heard they can reach the speed of sound, especially when they start talking in binary."

Jenny looked at him, confused. "That's a language?"

Tony looked at her, and an appalled look came over his face. "I can't believe this. I actually know the answer to this one. It's a computer language, but you can't really speak it, because it's just ones and zeros, or on and off. Oh God! I need to go play some basketball," he moaned.

* * *

Xander wanted to fidget. He needed to fidget. Gibbs had stayed behind in DC while the rest of them had flown down to Indiana in the SecNav's private jet, and Xander _knew_ that it was Gibbs' decision, and he _knew_ that he was just a kid, and he _knew_ that it was nothing to do with him, but he hated the feeling that he'd left one of his own behind, alone, undefended. And he knew the feeling wasn't going to go away until he saw Gibbs again, alive and whole.

He saw Gibbs striding across the cemetery grounds, and nudged Willow. "Your dad's here," he whispered.

Willow jerked her head around, and Xander felt her relax at the sight of him, moving easily in his suit. "Thank God," she murmured. She smiled to him as they rose to farewell Kate's coffin. She moved away from Xander, and gave her father a quick hug before returning to Xander's side so that he could talk to the Director like she knew he needed to. She put her hand in her jacket's pocket, and pulled out the smooth river stone that she'd brought from her father's garden. She waited for Xander to drop his flower, and a little amulet onto the coffin, and then placed her own memorial on Kate's coffin. She wasn't sure when she'd be back, but she would remember to bring a new stone for Kate's gravestone when she did.

Xander slipped his arm around Willow, and led her to where Abby was talking quietly with Kate's parents.

Gibbs looked over, and smiled at them. "Taking care of my girl?" he asked, giving Willow another hug.

"As much as anyone can," Xander smirked.

Abby pressed the play button on her little tape-deck, and Jazz music floated into the air, celebrating the life of one of their own. Gibbs guided his daughter forward, and wrapped his free arm around the Goth scientist, and walked the two of them out of the cemetery, behind Kate's parents. Ducky smiled at Jenny, and offered his arm, while Xander joined his brother and McGee at the back of the group.

"You okay?" Tony asked.

"Getting there," Xander nodded.

"How's your arm?" Tim asked from Tony's other side.

Xander made a face. "Healing. It itches."

Tony nodded. "It'll do that for a while. Just be thankful it wasn't much deeper. It could have broken the bone, and then you'd have a cast to worry about, too."

Tim grimaced. "Yeah. That's be unpleasant."

"That it would, McGee," Tony nodded. "That it would."

* * *

A/N: I had to cut this short, because adding any more would involve Xander and Willow more than is reasonable. It would be so easy to make this into a Super-Xander fic, but I have to keep reminding myself that he's just a teenager. He's still in high school, and even if he has all the skills and attitude, the adults are not going to let him take over, because he's just a kid. Anyway, I fought with the plotting of this, so that is why it's late. Many apologies for the delay, and for those who wanted Xander to ride in and save the day.

Random thought: Ziva saved Director Sheppard's life (in Cairo, 2 years before she became Director) and Eli David saved Director Vance's life (back when he first joined NIS.) Will Tali David have saved the next Director's life by shoving him/her out of the path of the suicide bomber that killed her?


	22. Graduation Part 1

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy, NCIS, Tom Clancy's Ryan-verse, or Highlander

A/N: Sorry for the wait. There are now two more chapters left to this story, and I hope to have it finished soon. Also, just so you're aware, there are canon levels of strong language for any Tom Clancy novel featuring these characters.

* * *

"John, Ding, how are you two today?"

The elder of the two nodded and said, "Fine thank you, sir. How may we help you today?"

Jack handed each man a folder, which they promptly opened and examined, then he sat back to wait for their questions.

The younger man looked up. "This is a domestic situation, sir."

"That it is," Jack agreed.

"Not really supposed to work domestically," John commented.

"This is true. All I'm asking you to do, though, is go there and have a look around. I don't want you to do anything, just observe."

"May I ask what brought this up?"

"Why we're getting into this, and not the FBI?" Jack asked, smiling.

"Yeah."

"They were involved. Okay, the situation is like this: Gibbs, over at NCIS, has a daughter that grew up there, likewise for his senior agent's half-brother. Neither of them knew they had family there until the kids found out their respective dads weren't who they thought they were, and went digging. Well, Gibbs had his people dig around, and spoke with the kids, and got concerned. The stats are in the folder," he added. "Well, Gibbs spoke to Fornell, down the hall, and suggested he might like to have a look into the place. Fornell launched an official investigation into the place – his info is included in your packets, too – but the investigation was called off after the Mayor's office made a call."

John and Ding exchanged wary glances at that. "Who were they looking at at the time?"

"The Mayor's office, local PD. So the FBI are officially off the case, and we can't officially do anything, since it is a domestic matter. However, Fornell spoke to Murray, who spoke to me, and I'm now asking you, _unofficially_, to wander over to Sunnydale, California, and have a look around."

John sat back, and glanced at Ding before speaking. "So what are we looking at?"

Jack shook his head. "I don't know. The kids apparently talked about gangs, and how it's not safe to be out at night. Gangs on PCP, and death by barbeque fork."

"That's … different," Ding murmured.

"Their deaths and disappearances rates are different," Jack countered. "Look, whatever it is, there is some connection to the high school. There are maybe 4 high schools for about thirty-five thousand people, and two of those are private. The main high school in town is Sunnydale High, and their school paper has an obituary column." Jack sighed as the other two men grimaced at the thought. "To top it off, I've heard vague rumours of a very quiet op starting up, based out of UC Sunnydale, which has no contact, whatsoever, with the base permanently stationed in Sunnydale."

"So..." John began. "Go there, look around, report back to you?"

"Sounds about right. School's finishing up for the year, soon, so you'll have to head out pretty much straight away. Is that going to be a problem?"

"No problem, sir," John replied.

"Good. Talk with Jenny about tickets, and get out there ASAP. And take care. It really isn't safe there, especially after dark."

"Don't worry, boss," Ding grinned as they walked out. "I got my Grandma's crucifix to wear for good luck."

* * *

"So you're sure you've got everything?" Tony asked his brother.

"Gods!" Xander moaned. "For the millionth time, Tony, yes, I have everything. And, yes, I do have to leave today, 'cause if I'm going to go everywhere, and do everything that I want to do before I have to get back to DC for my internship, I have to leave now. As it is, I've got a straight four weeks only to get from one side of the country to the other, and back again. That's not much time for the Grand Canyon, let alone the Biggest Ball of String."

"Or Roswell, or Graceland, or any of the other things on your list, yes I know. It's just… Well, I worry, okay?"

"Okay. I get it. And I really appreciate it, honest. At least you care for me. So... Rule three, I've got a cell phone. Rule nine, in my boot. I've got cash on me, and more in my cards. I have fuel in my tank, I have maps, and my route plotted. And last but not least: I have my Twinkies."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Can't forget the Twinkies," he muttered, grinning.

"You've got Twinkies?" came a new voice. "But I bought some!"

Xander spun around and grabbed his best friend into a bearhug. "Always room for more Twinkies. And they'll be Willow Twinkies, which makes them special."

"You really have to go?" she whimpered.

"I really have to go," he agreed.

Once the pair had said their goodbyes, Xander moved onto Gibbs. "So, Gunny..." Xander offered.

"So," Gibbs nodded. He looked at the case in his hands, then back to Xander. "You remember Director Morrow? You should," he smirked. "He's only just moved over to Homeland Security." When Xander nodded, he went on. "Well, he remembered you, how you did when Haswari was after Willow. He pulled some strings." He grunted. "A hell of a lot of strings, actually. Got you this," he finished, handing over a card.

Xander took the card gingerly, and examined it. "It's a federal carry-concealed permit," he murmured, awed.

"It's probably a violation of something, somewhere," Gibbs admitted, "but it's yours. And so is this," he added, handing over a box.

Xander took the case with care, and opened it. Nestled in its lined foam with a SIG Sauer P228 9mm pistol. "Wow," he murmured. He looked over to his brother, who looked grim, but nodded.

"I trust you," Gibbs went on. "You're a very good shot, especially considering your age, and I trust you to only use it when absolutely necessary. Hopefully you never have to use it. Don't make me sorry."

Xander straightened. "No, Gunny, I won't."

Gibbs nodded. "Okay, son. Off you go. And try not to have too much fun," he grinned.

* * *

"There you go, Mr Johnson," the concierge smiled as she handed over the roomkey. "And what brings you to Sunnydale? Funeral?"

Easily hiding his surprise at the suggestion, John nodded. "Aunt Agnes."

"Do you know which cemetery she's being interred in? We have twelve to choose from."

"Um, no. I'm going to have to talk to my cousin."

"Well, I hope it all goes well for you and your ..."

"Nephew," Ding offered. "We both live in Vegas, so Uncle Tom said he'd bring me up. We're splitting costs."

"Okay. Well, stay safe," the concierge smiled.

Ding waited until they were in the lift before speaking. "Funeral? She expected us to be here for a funeral?"

"Thirty-odd thousand people, and twelve cemeteries. That's not exactly an encouraging statistic. Let alone what we read."

"Yeah, but..."

"Could be worse," John decided.

"It could?"

"I was thinking of calling Aunt Agnes a miserly, homophobic bitch."

Ding made a face as he thought about the implications. "Shit, _jefe_, that's just mean."

* * *

Giles looked up at the clock when he heard a knock at the door, and frowned when he saw how late it was. He checked who was the other side of the door, then quickly flung the door open when he saw who it was. "Xander? I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow!"

The teen grinned tiredly. "Yeah, but when I saw how close I was, I just kept on going. Just didn't feel like spending another night in a motel. I'll be doing enough of that over the next month."

"Well, setting aside the fact that I don't like the idea of you pushing yourself like that, I must say that I am very glad to see you. And congratulations on getting into Georgetown."

"And if it wasn't for a psychopathic politician wanting to become a demon, I would be glad to be here," Xander smirked. "And thanks for the congrats. And the letters of recommendation from you and Sam. I've already spoken to someone in the department about the fact I already have enough Greek and Latin to more than pass their courses. There is a distinct possibility that, since I've already done a year of Sumerian and started on runes and hieroglyphics that I can do those instead."

"Wonderful!" Giles agreed. "That sounds very exciting. Actually, the Council may have someone there – I can't quite remember. Well, let's get you set up for the night. I'll take you around to the school tomorrow. I'm sure Buffy and the others will be glad to see you."

* * *

Ding looked around the mall food court. He could see where the renovations had been done after last year's explosion. He still couldn't believe it hadn't made national, if not international news. There had been casualties, and a fucking _explosion_ in a food court/cinema forecourt, and not a peep on any news network that he knew of. He shook his head at it all.

John glanced at his partner. "Yeah. Never heard of anything like it. At least, not on US soil. Shit like this happens, everyone knows about it. Especially in some nice little seaside town this close to LA."

"Not a fucking word, _jefe_," Ding shook his head in amazement.

"The place doesn't seem to have lost any customers from it," John mused.

Ding snorted. "Only mall, only cinema. You see anywhere else the kids are going to go?"

John grunted and nodded, conceding the point. "Notice something else?" he asked.

The younger man looked around, and shook his head. "No idea. Everything seems normal."

"That's pretty much the point," John nodded. "Crime stats like these, there should be more tension. The people should be nervous, watchful. People have gone missing from here reasonably regularly, and the place itself was hit pretty hard just over a year ago. Yet everyone seems relaxed, not a worry in the world."

Ding frowned, looking at the shoppers with new eyes. "Those stats were pretty recent, weren't they?"

"From ten years ago, to just a couple of months ago," John confirmed. "There has been a decrease in murders and disappearances, starting about two and a half years ago, and then it accelerated about eighteen months ago. Still, this place is as dangerous as any of the worst parts of any large American city, and these people are just wandering around like it's Bloomingdale's."

"It just doesn't make sense," Ding complained.

"No. It really doesn't."

* * *

Xander's meeting with the Sunnydale group was happy, with a squeal and a hug from Buffy, and warm smiles from Kendra and Oz. Sam Zabuto shook the younger man's hand, and thanked him for coming all the way to Sunnydale to help. Greetings over, Giles led Xander to the table where their combined plans had been laid out, and they began going over their preparations for Graduation, which was less than a week away.

"What weapons do you have?" Xander asked, his gaze drifting over the various sheets of paper on the table.

"We have ten auto-loading crossbows, and another ten recurve bows – thankfully the archery club is in the know, and were able to supply those for us," Giles smiled gratefully. "We also have sufficient wooden shaft arrows for the twenty archers." He rubbed his forehead in thought. "Uh, we have about a hundred stakes, and I would like another hundred at least, just in case. I also want sufficient crosses so that every student has one."

"This is great, Giles," Xander smiled. "And you need me, why?"

"Are you fishing for compliments?" Giles smirked. "Very well," he nodded, "it's because you see things differently. You notice things. Maybe you'll come up with just the right solution to our problem," he added, shrugging.

"Way to put the pressure on," Xander commented sourly.

* * *

Ding frowned as he watched the two men talking in the school carpark. "_Jefe_," he grunted. "That kid look familiar to you?"

John took the binoculars, and checked the pair his partner had nodded to. "I think…" He reached for a folder, and quickly flipped through. "Huh. That's Gibbs' boy, Alexander DiNozzo. What the hell's he doing here?"

"He's one of the ones that got us into this thing, isn't he?" Ding asked, frowning.

"Yeah," John agreed. "Him and Gibbs' daughter, Willow. They grew up here."

"Maybe he's here for the graduation ceremony," Ding suggested. "You know, come to see old friends graduate?"

John nodded. "He and Gibbs' daughter went to a private school. They probably graduated earlier than Sunnydale High, and came out for their friends."

"Sounds about right," Ding agreed. "I wonder where she is."

John watched the two men get in the car, and, acting on a hunch, pulled out his phone. While Ding looked on, surprised, he quickly dialled, and waited for the answer. "Hey, Jack," he greeted, "it's Tom."

"Tom," Jack Ryan answered, surprised. "It's been months."

"Yeah, I know. Say, I saw your Lexie was in town, and thought I might catch up. But I was thinking it would be great if it was me, Lexie and Will, but I don't have Will's number. Do you have it?"

Jack quickly flipped the file open, and scanned through, making connections. "Uh, I don't have Will's phone number in the office, so I'd have to get back to you with that. Is that okay?"

"Sure," John grinned. "When you can, that'd be great."

"I'll get back to you, then," Jack nodded, then ended the call. He sat for a while, going through his options, then left his office to track down his best option for a little private job.

* * *

Mary Patricia Foley set her dog down on the far side of the fence and showed it a ball, which she promptly tossed far into the back yard. She noted with pleasure that is was sufficiently hidden that her pet couldn't find it quickly. She then quickly made her way around to the front of the house, leash wrapped around her hand, and began calling for her dog. She retraced her steps until she reached the fence, and called to her pet by the wrong name.

Mary-Pat was about to decide that she was on a fool's mission, when a young redhead poked her head around the side of the house.

"Are you looking for something?" the redhead asked cautiously.

"Oh, God, I'm such a ditz," Mary-Pat smiled brightly. "Somehow, Tiny got into your yard, and now he won't come to me," she added, gesturing towards the small dog excitedly poking around in the garden.

Willow frowned at the small dog, then looked at the woman. She looked nice enough, but then, so did the Mayor. She shrugged, and fetched the dog, picking it up in her arms and giving it a scratch under the chin. She hoped it wasn't a demon dog. From what Buffy had said of the Prom, hell-hounds were a lot larger. And decidedly less fluffy. She carried the dog back to the fence, but, with a hard-earned caution, she stood back from the fence and held the dog out to the woman.

Mary-Pat found herself in the strange position of having to lean over he fence to take her dog back. She smiled brightly again, and thanked Willow before walking back to her car, loudly chiding her dog. Once in the car, she strapped her dog into its seatbelt, and found her phone. She quickly made her call, not merely advising of the girl's presence at the house, but also of the odd way she'd handed back the pet.

* * *

John checked the voice-mail on his phone, and found Jack's message. He listened thoughtfully, then turned to Ding. "The girl's still in DC," he explained, frowning.

The younger man shrugged. "Maybe her dad wouldn't let her come out," he offered. "He knows it's a dangerous place, too dangerous for his little girl."

"It's a graduation ceremony, for fuck's sake," John ground out, frustrated. "These are fucking school kids."

"You know it, man," Ding agreed. "And you know as well as I do, the boy is packing. He lived here, and he's lived in DC. He faced down a suspected terrorist with nothing more than a knife in an ankle sheath. And now he's back, and he's carrying a side-arm? He knows the deal better than we do." He stared at the desk as he turned over an unpleasant idea. "You think maybe Gibbs don't know he's here?"

John stiffened at that thought. He shook his head, and sighed. "Yeah. That's starting to look like a real possibility."


End file.
